Liquid
Assets

The Gulf of Mexico has always been a giver.

It offers schools of fish and shoals of shrimp, ready to fill nets or yank a fishing line with good sport. Its waves make a playground for squealing children. Its shorelines provide a bed of warm sand for tourists and treasures in the form of whorled seashells. It employs thousands of people, and draws millions more vacationers. It protects our coasts from hurricanes — the Gulf’s mangrove forests and sand dunes bearing the brunt of monster winds and waves.

But the more the Gulf gives, the more it’s asked to take.

By sea, constant oil and gas drilling, military activity and overfishing strain the Gulf’s resources and threaten its species. On land, overdevelopment and booming populations degrade coastlines and estuaries. And climate change, which overheats the Gulf’s waters, is raising tides and strengthening storms.

“We haven’t learned any lessons,” said Jack E. Davis, author of the Pulitzer-winning book “The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea.”

Davis argues that humans have sought to dominate the Gulf’s waters and shorelines as a form of manifest destiny. Conquering nature has always been a centerpiece of American culture, and the Gulf poses a tantalizing challenge. But while technology has evolved since the 19th century, Davis says, attitudes haven’t.

On the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. A former real estate mogul, Trump has sought to develop America’s environmental resources — and the Gulf is a prime piece of property. By slashing environmental regulations, ratcheting up offshore drilling or encouraging new industries to enter the Gulf, Trump is determined not to let the Gulf’s liquid assets go untapped.

“It’s all about one word,” Davis said. “And that’s exploitation.”

Marine scientists know the Gulf’s resources are overburdened, and the effects of a stressed sea often fall back on its citizens, from commercial fishers struggling to make a living off depleted fisheries to coastal residents trying to shore their homes against rising seas.

But what Davis calls exploitation, industries call adaptation. Energy companies say they have to drill deeper to keep supplying American energy, while fish farmers argue that offshore aquaculture is a climate-friendly way to feed the planet.

As industries old and new look to stake their claim in the American sea, the Gulf is still giving. But it’s unclear how long we’ll be able to reap its benefits — or at what price.