Christopher L. Jorgensen
PO Box 546
Ames, IA 50010

May 2, 2012

The Shrimp Council
7918 Jones Branch Dr.
Suite 700
McLean, VA 22102

Dear Shrimp Council,

I love shrimp. Shrimp scampi, steamed shrimp, breaded shrimp, cocktail shrimp, shrimp of all kinds and sizes! Yum yum!

Recently though I read in Al Jazeera that due to BP polluting the gulf region with 4.9 million barrels of oil and the toxic Corexit dispersants used on said oil that there are now “horribly mutated shrimp” being caught. Eyeless shrimp and shrimp with tumors on their heads! I’m not signing on to eat these. I don’t care how much butter you add this doesn’t sound appetizing at all! I would rather ingest pink slime!

That same article states:

Health impacts can include headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pains, chest pains, respiratory system damage, skin sensitisation, hypertension, central nervous system depression, neurotoxic effects, cardiac arrhythmia and cardiovascular damage. They are also teratogenic - able to disturb the growth and development of an embryo or fetus - and carcinogenic.

That sounds bad. So my question to you is, where can I get shrimp that is safe and yummy? Obviously I want to eat shrimp with eyes and without tumors that won’t cause me cancer! How can I tell where the shrimp I am eating is coming from? Do you see a day when the environment in the gulf will be recovered enough to where I can once again eat shrimp from there without risking my life?

Sincerely,

Christopher L. Jorgensen