Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Expanding Dead Zone in Gulf of Mexico is Causing High Anxiety Among Shrimpers

Elizabeth Lee

   PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS - Tuan Tran has been catching shrimp in the Gulf of
   Mexico ever since he was a child and cannot imagine doing anything
   else.

   "I always had a passion for shrimping. I always loved the Gulf," Tran
   told VOA."Some reason when I do this, I feel like I belong there."

   For Tran, it is an adventure. For his family, it is a trade they had
   known in Vietnam before they made their way to Port Arthur, Texas after
   the fall of Saigon in 1975. Tran and his family of shrimpers have faced
   many challenges created by mother nature. The latest weather-related
   problem in the Gulf is a giant dead zone predicted to grow to a near
   record in coming weeks.

   "It's not good," said Tran.

   The dead zone is an area of ocean containing little to no oxygen. It is
   a phenomenon that typically peaks in the summer and dissipates in the
   winter. However, this summer's dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is
   predicted to be unusually large -- threatening marine life and creating
   problems for the fishermen who depend on the ocean for their
   livelihood.

   Even with such a bleak forecast, Tran, who is a devout Catholic, relies
   on his faith to stay hopeful.

   "We can only do so much and ask for his blessing. He'll take care the
   rest," Tran said. "If I get worried just like Trey over [at] J.B.S, I
   won't have no sleep."

   Trey Pearson runs J.B.S. Packing, Inc., a shrimp processing business in
   Port Arthur. He said he was "very very concerned as to what it [the
   dead zone] will actually do and how bad it really will be."

   The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts the dead
   zone in the Gulf of Mexico will span more than 20,277 square
   kilometers, not far from the record set in 2017.

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