KEY TAKEAWAYS: Shrimpers worry about safety and economic impact from LOOP oil spill Local attorneys advise gathering financial records to document losses LOOP has opened a claims site in Houma for affected fishermen Residents have nearly three years to file claims for compensation   Shr impers are preparing for a bad season they say will be affected by the LOOP oil spill. “It should all be shut down. What if someone dies eating a crab with oil,” shrimper Michael Callais, 67, said. Callais was one of about 30 people who gathered at the Cut Off Youth Center to meet with local attorneys March 24 to discuss how to prepare for the possible effects the spill could have on their livelihoods. Callais said the spill affects all the seafood from Louisiana because it creates a question of safety from fishermens’ products. “LOOP should be held responsible and step up to the plate and tell us they are going to make us whole,” he said. Many like Callais lived and worked through the BP oil spill and feared that this could be just as impactful. There was a common sentiment of distrust running through the crowd, with people citing things they read or saw on Facebook, and things they heard from other shrimpers. “There should be a protocol in place,” Callais said. “We feed people just like the farmers feed people… it just don’t make no sense.” AMO Trial Lawyers attorney David Ardoin informed the fishermen that LOOP had opened a physical location to gather information and make claims. He encouraged them to go see what LOOP was offering, but advised not to take any deals that would settle their claim without speaking with attorneys first. He said his law firm would discuss the options with people free of charge. “Do not accept any offer that will limit your claim in the future,” he said. “The long-term effects are yet to be seen.” The claims site is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott, 142 Library Dr., near the Terrebonne Parish Main Library and the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. It’s hard to estimate the impact now, Ardoin said, because information on the spill is hard to get from the unified command. “It has been very little and not very informative,” he said. “They’re just not providing a lot of details about what’s going on.” The unified command is comprised of LOOP, the U.S. Coast Guard, Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, NOA and others. All questions are being funneled through LOOP’s Director of Planning Wade Tornyos. Ardoin went on to explain that people need to prepare for the shrimping season by collecting their past three years of trip tickets, bank records, tax returns and any other documentation that shows their costs and profits through the years. He said to make a claim that has to show a loss, and ask for an amount to be made whole. These documents will help to create a dollar amount and prove the loss. Those who have experienced loss due to the spill have two years and 275 days to make a claim. Anyone who has been impacted by the spill can call LOOP at 1‑855‑566‑7552 with questions or to make claims. This article originally appeared on The Courier: Shrimpers, attorneys discuss possible loss claims after oil spill Reporting by Colin Campo, Houma Courier-Thibodaux Daily Comet / The Courier USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect ...read more read less