It’s been two weeks since the British Petroleum offshore drilling rig exploded. The immediate effects have been tragic, but the worst is still to come for Louisiana.It has been a dark last couple of days for the Chandeleur Islands, the easternmost point of our state, where the first sheens of the spill recently arrived. And, while the remainder of the Louisiana coast awaits the oily apocalypse, leaks continue to spew Texas tea into the Gulf only a few miles from our coastline. Worst of all, estimates coming in are saying the leak may not be stopped for two to three months. So what does this mean for Louisianans? Initially, you may want to cancel your condo reservations if they aren’t on the East coast — unless you enjoy building flammable sand castles. And in the long term, the ecologically inherent seafood issues might make the currently detestable act of buying Chinese crawfish seem tame. Many seafood restaurants around town are struggling with curious customers not so eager to ingest toxic chemicals in their meals. Others can’t keep enough in stock to satiate those who anticipate the coming spike in shellfish prices. Bottom line: The local economy is already experiencing the aftereffects of this environmental crisis. But the effects of this crisis may go far beyond canceling your order for a seafood platter in coming weeks. Fishermen who have finally recovered from Katrina are now facing another complete disaster. They’ll still have their boats, but possibly no catch in the coming months. Tack this imminent blow to the fishing industry on to the recent economic turmoil of our great state, and it gets that much worse. And if you think this is bad, just wait. It could be 20 years until the delicate ecosystem of the affected areas returns to normal if the aftermath goes as predicted. This could mean wiping out much of the coastal marshland, and, more seriously, disruption in shellfish reproduction. If this occurs, every species that depends on oysters, shrimp and crabs will be affected — including us.—————Contact the Editorial Board at [email protected].