Page 2 • The Battalion
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Study blames shrimping boats for
trashing beaches of Padre Island
□ Litter from the Gulf of
Mexico has been washing
up onto the shore.
PADRE ISLAND NATIONAL
SEASHORE (AP) — One day the
beach is nearly pristine. On another
day the sands are trashed with milk
jugs, plastic sacks and all sorts of
other garbage.
It’s a given that Gulf of Mexico
currents and winds determine
which days and where the floating
garbage washes up on Padre Is
land National Seashore, part of
the longest undeveloped barrier
island in the United States.
National Park Service re
searchers have worked on a
tougher question: Where does it
all come from?
Their new study concludes that
shrimping boats are more responsi
ble than anyone else for littering a
section of the Texas Gulf Coast. It
hits an industry that already feels it
has been unfairly maligned for envi
ronmental unfriendliness.
“The shrimping items are by
far what we get the most of,” said
John Miller, chief of resource pro
tection at the 68-mile national
seashore. “The total of it is just
absolutely mind boggling when it
doesn’t have to be that way.”
Experts say that besides making
the beach an eyesore, the trash can
harm birds and marine animals, in
cluding endangered sea turtles.
Last year Miller devised a study
of 16 miles of beach on the northern
tip of the federally protected
seashore. Each day the researchers
cleared and cataloged the garbage,
collecting nearly 41,000 items for
the entire year.
“The same time they
(shrimpers) are out there, we get
an increase in these types.of
items,’’ said Sean Baker, a re
sources management specialist
"We would like to work with
the shrimpers to solve this prob
lem."
— Sean Baker,
resources management specialist
who conducted much of the study.
“We would like to work with ^.hem
to solve this problem rather than
being antagonistic with them.”
“I think they are full of it. They
are just looking for somebody to
blame,” responded Jimmy B. Rus
sell, president of the Texas Shrimp
Association. “It kind of offends me
that someone would say that.”
Russell said Texas shrimpers are
conscientious about stowing trash
on deck until they get back to port.
Wilma Anderson, executive direc
tor of the shrimp association, said
some trash accidentally washes
overboard shrimp vessels in high
seas. But she objected to the impli
cation that shrimpers intentionally
dump most of the garbage that ends
up on the beach.
Anderson -said the Navy, off
shore oil operations and shipping
vessels are equally responsible for
marine debris.
But Miller said the study associ
ated only 13 percent of the items
with offshore oil and shipping. An
other 13 percent came from un
known sources.
Chief Boatswainsmate
James Stanbro, in charge
of the Coast Guard’s Port
Aransas station, said most
of the 70 shrimping boats
that his crews inspect com
ply with anti-dumping
rules.
He emphasized that it’s
a difficult, subjective judg
ment as to how much
a vessel should go through
garbage
over a long period at sea.
“My preference would be that the
shrimping industry deals with this
problem themselves,” Miller said.
But he hinted that the study might
lead to stricter enforcement.
“It’s an absolute atrocity that we
allow this to continue on our
oceans,” he said.
Shrimpers already believe that
government agencies have unfairly
blamed them for a large number of
sea turtle deaths.
Under the Endangered Species
Act, Gulf of Mexico shrimpers are
required to use “trap doors” to allow
turtles to escape trawler nets.
Three people shot while rafting in Mexico
□ The rafters were being
robbed until a Mexican
army helicopter scared
the gunmen away.
AUSTIN (AP) — Three people
were shot and robbed while river
rafting in southern Mexico, the
Austin American-Statesman
reports.
Gill Ediger, 47, of Austin, said
he was wounded in the leg in the
April 6 shooting, the newspaper re
ported Tuesday.
Ursula Sommer, 37, of Switzer
land was struck four times by bul
lets, including .once in the upper
back, and Karlin Meyers, 34, of
Long Island, N.Y., was shot in the
elbow, the paper said.
Ediger said his wound was
treated in a clinic in Palenque, in
northeastern Chiapas, Mexico.
The others were treated there,
then flown to a Miami hospital
and later released.
Ediger said four men with ri
fles began firing at his group of
about 20 rafters from a bank of
the Usumacinta River, which di
vides Chiapas from northwestern
Guatemala.
Mexican troops have been sta
tioned in Chiapas since clashing
with Zapatista guerillas last year.
The fighting has stopped, but thou
sands of rebel troops remain holed
up in rural Chiapas.
The rafters said the attack on
them didn’t appear to be linked to
the uprising.
“As far as we could tell, (the
robbers) had no political affilia
tion,” said Ediger. “There was
nothing to indicate they were any
thing but bandits.”
The rafters were ordered to
pull over to the bank of the river
and were being robbed at gun
point when a Mexican army heli
copter happened to fly by and
frightened off the thieves, who
fled with some of the rafters’ valu
ables, Ediger said.
Asked whether he would be
tackling the Usumacinta River
again soon, rafter Blake Harrison,
44, of Sante Fe, N.M., said, “I’m
not sure I could give you a flat yes
or no, but I figure you can be
robbed on the streets of Austin.”
Homeward bound
Preparing for the ride home, Bradley Gohlke, a freshman environmental design majo’
unlocks his bicycle.
L
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CounseLine
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icha:
Student Counseling Service can help with treatment of depression
By Dr. Juan R. Riker
Student Counseling Service
Most of us feel depressed sometimes.
Unfortunately, many of us in this
culture have been conditioned to do one
of two things with depression: either ig
nore the feelings and hope they will go
away or “self medicate.”
The latter can be done in any num
ber of ways, including eating, drink
ing, using drugs, overworking and
compulsive sexual behavior. The prob
lem with these methods of dealing
with depression is that none attend to
the underlying causes.
Ignoring the feelings, of course, won’t
make them go away.
Attempting to numb the pain is po
tentially even more harmful, as we
may fool ourselves into believing the
problem is gone, such as constantly
taking pain killers to deal with a phys
ical problem. The illness isn’t being
treated, only the pain.
Depression, of course, can become
dysfunctional and can seriously impair
one’s ability to carry out normal tasks.
In terms of assessing your own depres
sive feelings, it can be helpful to examine
them along four dimensions: frequency,
severity, duration and consequences.
How often do you feel depressed?
Every day? Once a week?
How bad do you feel? Totally hope
less, like things will never change? Or
just in a mild funk?
How long does your depression last?
A day? A week? A month?
Finally, has your depression led to
consequences, such as physical prob
lems, problems with relationships or
problems on the job or at school?
If your answers tend to be on the
more severe end of the continuum, it is
probably time to consider getting help.
There are several common symptoms
of depression:
Physiological:
• Changes in sleeping patterns
• Changes in appetite
• Dramatic weight loss or gain
• Fatigue or general low energy level
• Physical pain, such as headaches
or stomach aches
Emotional:
• Depressed mood, feeling sad, apa
thetic or irritable
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Feelings of helplessness and hope
lessness
Cognitive:
• Negative and critical self-talk such
as “I can’t do anything right”
• Distorted thought processes, such
as minimizing positive events and mag
nifying negative ones
Behavioral:
• Diminished interest in and enjoy
ment of previously pleasurable activi
ties
• Difficulty concentrating or making
decisions
• Neglecting responsibility and per
sonal appearance
If you believe you may be experienc
ing depression, it is important to realize
that you do have options and you are
not powerless. Depression is often an
indication that there is something
wrong that needs attention.
The first thing to do is a self-assess
ment.
What is going on in your life? Are
you feeling overly stressed? Are the de
mands placed on you too much? It ' ln 5
may need to think about cutting back
some areas. You may need soc L? 1
breathing room.
Talking with a counselor is age [ Qw
first step, and this may be all that
needed.
If your symptoms are extremelys*
vere and include thoughts of suicide,t
if the symptoms have been present lot
long time, antidepressant medicate l on
can also be helpful
Here on campus, the Student Coi
seling Service is an excellent resource
Trained counselors, psychologic
and psychiatrists are available to hi
you develop a course of action to mi
age your depression. In addition, thi
are numerous off-campus commute
resources and private practitioner!
the Bryan-College Station area.
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The Battalion
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