(CNN) – With the oil dissipating faster that expected, Louisiana seafood officials want BP to lure the state's fishermen back to the water. Many of Louisiana's 12 thousand fishermen have gotten accustomed to serving as cleanup workers since the oil spill began, drawing paychecks from BP instead of from the Gulf of Mexico. Ewell Smith, executive director of the state's Seafood Promotional and Marketing Board, is asking BP to offer a bonus to fishermen who return to their old jobs. "It's a commonsense approach to put fishermen back to work to help mitigate claims against them," Smith said. Under the state's proposed "Back to the Docks" program, BP would pay fishermen an additional 30 cents for every dollar of seafood they catch. Now that BP is closing in on killing the well, company spokesman Larry Thomas said the oil giant is considering Smith's proposal. "No final decision. But we are very supportive of programs of guys going back to fishing," Thomas said. The president of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, Jim Funk, says there's a good reason to offer fishing incentives. New Orleans and Southern Louisiana restaurants could run out of fresh locally caught seafood within the week. "We've got to get the commercial fishermen back to the ...
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