It’s a familiar refrain in southern Louisiana since the oil spill began and after President Barack Obama’s speech on Tuesday, it was voiced once again: there is little he can do until the oil stops gushing.

At the Black Velvet Oyster Bar and Grill in Buras, Louisiana, a popular watering hole for commercial and recreational fisherman, some patrons watched Obama’s televised oval office speech intently. Others tuned out.

The crisis has hammered the Louisiana seafood industry, with large areas now closed to fishing.