Country singer-turned-politician Sammy Kershaw is urging Americans not to stop buying seafood in the wake of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico - insisting the produce is safe and many businesses rely on the public's support.
The star insists the BP rig burst, which occurred in April (10), has not "ruined" the country's seafood industry, but Americans need to keep buying items such as fish, shrimp and crabs to support those who are now struggling to make a living.
He tells U.S. talk show host Larry King, "There's a lot of folks down there that are hurting really bad, a lot of fishermen, shrimpers, crabbers... I know a lot of the press makes it seem as though all of our seafood is ruined. But I do have to say that 70 per cent of our seafood, we're still producing it now. So the people around the country need to know that we're still able to produce 70 per cent of good, good, clean, safe, seafood.
"And the 30 per cent that we're not producing... you know, some of those areas that are closed off are precautionary. So I just want to make sure that people know that all of our seafood is not ruined."
And Kershaw, who is the Republican candidate for the position of lieutenant governor of Louisiana, has blasted BP bosses for spending millions of dollars on advertising campaigns, when that money could have helped needy workers on the Gulf Coast.
He adds, "BP should have took that $50 million (that they spent on) their publicity ads and given it straight directly to the fishermen and all those folks down on the coast... I'm telling you, those people are starving."