About 12,000 people have lost jobs in Louisiana's oil and gas industry since 2014, according to the state's Workforce Commission. As the price of oil has fallen by more than half, companies are scaling back, and headlines about layoffs appear almost daily. Whether it's boat captains who deliver supplies and staff to offshore rigs, or land-based manufacturers of drilling equipment, Louisiana has an identity as a "Working Coast."

While oil prices are expected to rebound, no one can say when, and this industry contraction has already changed the lives and livelihoods of many Louisiana families. WWNO's Coastal Desk talked to workers and industry experts from Shreveport to Lafayette, to examine the current state of employment in Louisiana oil and gas.