Fishing and drilling go side-by-side in the Gulf

Venice: Out where Louisiana ends and the Gulf of Mexico begins, it's hard to know which is king — oil or fishing.

Up and down four-lane Route 23, which runs between two protective earthen levees, aluminium skiffs share driveway space with pick-ups.

Meanwhile, a sign outside the convenience store in Boothville proudly advertises gas with "zero ethanol" — a homage to the refineries between here and New Orleans.

There's an adage that oil and water don't mix. But in this lacy fringe of marsh grass and mud, drilling and fishing have, for the most part, blended peacefully. Some wonder if the massive spill from British Petroleum's (BP)Deepwater Horizon well will upset that delicate balance.

Like most people around here, Ken Frelich has a stake in both industries. His family has owned Frelich Seafood in Empire since 1973. They also ferry oil crews to the offshore rigs.

Livelihood

"You can only do so much," said Frelich, 43, as he takes a break from selling shrimp and crawfish at his store off Route 23. "It's like waiting for a hurricane."

The April 20 explosion that sank BP's oil platform nearly 80km offshore has been spewing an estimated 210,000 gallons of crude a day.

One area of Frelich's livelihood threatens to destroy the other. But he knows it was an accident.

"There are hundreds and hundreds of rigs out there, so accidents happen," he said.

"There are so many car wrecks on the road, nobody is surprised when one happens. When there's an accident on an oil rig, everybody hears about it."