The edges of the massive Gulf Coast oil slick grazed the barrier islands off Louisiana's Chandeleur and Breton sounds Tuesday as the company responsible for cleaning up the spill faced tough questions from members of Congress.

With a damaged undersea well still spewing crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana's coastal parishes made new plans to keep the oil from moving into Lake Borgne and Lake Pontchartrain, which flank New Orleans. Winds that complicated efforts to fight the spill died down Tuesday, making cleanup work easier, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Mary Landry said.

"It's a gift of a little bit of time," she told reporters. "But I'm not resting."

The spill threatens wildlife, beaches and livelihoods along the Gulf Coast. Already federal officials have banned fishing in the affected area until at least May 12, curtailing a commercial seafood industry that brings in about $2.4 billion to the region every year. The leading edge of the slick was reported to be lapping at the edge of Louisiana's Chandeleur Islands early Tuesday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said.

"Let's make no mistake about what's at stake here. This is our very way of life," Jindal told reporters. "This is our fishing communities, these are some of our coastal communities. We're talking about keeping this oil out of our fragile wetlands."

But as of mid-afternoon, no oil had been found washed up on the islands, said Doug Suttles, chief operating officer for BP, which owns the damaged well.

"To give you a sense of our ability to respond, we launched 22 vessels," Suttles told reporters at a news conference in Mobile, Alabama. Twelve of those vessels were shrimp boats whose skippers have volunteered to assist in the cleanup, he said.

"They've been in the area ever since trying to locate that oil and make sure it actually doesn't reach shore," Suttles said.

The edge of the slick was reported to be about 20 miles off the Mississippi Coast, and Landry said it was about 30 miles off the shores of Alabama. Suttles said BP workers expected to close off one of the three leaking points Tuesday, but added, "I don't believe that will change the total amount of oil that will be leaked."

Stephen Herbert, chef and owner of Abita Springs Cafe on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, said the potential impact was "tremendous." But Herbert, who holds a degree in fish biology and lived in the marshes for 10 years before entering the restaurant business, expressed surprise that the story has become a national one.

"I'm really astounded that the rest of the people in the United States really give a flip about this," he said. Louisiana's coastal marshlands have been shrinking at the rate of two football fields a day for a quarter-century, he said, "and nobody gave a flip about that."

Latest Interviews

Raspy Rawls Interview Pt. 2

Raspy Rawls Interview Pt. 1

Latest VLogs

iLoveMakonnen "Loudest of the Loud Tour - On the Road Pt. 2"

Life With Ty Dolla $ign (Ep. 7)

Lil Durk's "Wherever I Go" Tour (Pt. 1)