Water is vital to the American Gulf Coast. Whether for fishing, swimming, playing, or just for pure enjoyment, the area's waterways are one of the things that make this region so special. BP understands and has committed $20 billion to fund the economic and environmental recovery of the region and pay natural resource damages. View video of "Gulf Commitment: The Waterways."
After a seven-year hiatus, the Professional Cowboy Association Championship Rodeo returned to Biloxi to the enthusiastic response of cowboys and cowgirls along the Gulf Coast. Sponsored in part by a grant from BP, the rodeo drew thousands of visitors to the four-day event and marked the first time the championship was held in Biloxi since Hurricane Katrina. View video of Professional Cowboy Association Rodeo.
For a great many shrimpers on Mississippi's Gulf Coast, the ocean is more than just the source of their livelihood, it's part of their heritage. For this reason, they feel a responsibility to keep all of its inhabitants safe from harm. Using money from the Recovered Oil Fund for Wildlife, which funds projects that support wildlife populations in the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources was able to outfit hundreds of Mississippi's shrimping boats with turtle excluder devices (TEDs) to help keep sea turtles safe. View video of "Restoration Gulf Coast: Mississippi."
Generations of fishermen have made their livelihoods and their homes on the Gulf Coast. They want you to know that seafood -- shrimp, oysters and all sorts of fish -- from the Gulf of Mexico is the most inspected and most tested in the world. The confidence they have in their catch has never been higher, and they want you to try it for yourself. View video of "Gulf Commitment: The seafood."
In 2010, BP donated approximately $22 million to help wildlife recovery and restoration. Known as the Recovered Oil Fund For Wildlife, this fund has not only helped protect endangered sea turtles and thousands of migratory birds, it has provided an opportunity to address long-standing issues in the Gulf ecosystem and help to create a healthier Gulf. Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which administers the fund, explains its mission and how the fund works. View video of Recovered Oil Fund for Wildlife.
Records fell as top anglers from around the country gathered in Biloxi for the Southern Kingfish Association National Championship. Competitors call the Gulf of Mexico a “Paradise of fishing.” View video of Southern Kingfish Association National Championship.
BP launched a new nationwide television advertising campaign to update the American people on progress being made to clean up and restore the Gulf Coast region in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon accident.
The initial advertisement in the series, which debuted on December 26, 2011, marks the first time since late last year that BP has gone on the air nationally with ads providing such an update.
It came as the cleanup phase of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill response is nearing completion and the first set of early restoration projects is preparing to move forward.
View new Gulf television commercial. Read more about new Gulf national television commercial.
With the Allstate BCS Sugar Bowl as a backdrop, BP and Gulf Coast tourism and seafood officials launched the Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash to celebrate Gulf Coast seafood, culture and tourism through special events and promotions throughout New Orleans. View video of Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash.
“It feels wonderful, just wonderful, to see them be released and to see them go like they’re supposed to go,” says Dr. Connie Chevis, chief veterinarian for the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) in Gulfport, Mississippi. In the third segment of a special three-part video series, Chevis and other IMMS officials take viewers along as they release 11 sea turtles -- including four equipped with satellite tracking devices -- into the Gulf of Mexico. View video of Going home: Sea turtles released into the Gulf. Learn more about the work of the IMMS.
The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) in Gulfport, Mississippi, has been working to rescue, recover, rehabilitate and release marine mammals for almost 30 years. In the second installment of a special three-part video series, IMMS officials share the behind-the-scenes work by a dedicated staff to help rehabilitate sea turtles and prepare them to be returned to the Gulf of Mexico. “They are very dedicated people with very specialized skills, says IMMS Founder and Director Moby Solangi.
View video of rescued sea turtles being prepared to go home. Learn more about the work of the IMMS. View the transcript of this video.
