SILVER SPRING, Md.—The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced it is in the process of sampling the last commercial fishing area that was closed as a result of the April 20 oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that triggered the nation’s worst oil spill and closed nearly one-third of the area’s fishing waters.
In June 2010, NOAA, FDA and the Gulf states agreed upon an extensive sampling and testing procedure. Areas once closed to fishing were reopened only when all seafood sampled in the area passed both the established sensory and chemical testing for oil and dispersant. NOAA also has completed two additional rounds of sampling and testing from each of the reopened areas. The agency also announced it would continue retesting seafood from the Gulf throughout the summer to gain U.S. and international confidence that the seafood is safe to eat.
According to Technomic’s “Market Intelligence Report: Seafood", 23 percent of consumers say their consumption of seafood at restaurants decreased since the spill and 19 percent say they are still eating less fish as a direct result of the accident.
“Gulf seafood is consistently passing FDA’s safety tests by a wide margin," said Eric Schwaab, assistant NOAA administrator in charge of NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “We are continuing to test, and we are making the data available to the public, so they can make fully informed purchasing decisions."
An area covering 1,041 square miles immediately surrounding the wellhead still remains closed to all commercial and recreational fishing. NOAA will use an FDA-approved plan to begin sampling the closed area on March 12, and will announce the reopening of the area if all the samples pass the established sensory and chemical tests.
