Now the Gulf of Mexico is fully reopened to commercial and recreational fishing. The area extends from the Louisiana state water line to due south of the Alabama/Florida state line. This is the eleventh reopening in federal waters since July 22. This reopening was announced after consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and under a reopening protocol agreed to by NOAA, the FDA, and the Gulf states.
The press release of NOAA states that the current closed area is nearly reopened fully as no oil or sheen has been documented in the area since July 25. At its closest point, the area to be reopened is about 10 miles from the wellhead. NOAA sampled this area between August 31 and November 1 for finfish and shrimp, including tuna, swordfish, escolar, and royal red shrimp.
Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, said that this is the first reopening where we have added a supplemental test to detect dispersants in seafood, and all the samples passed. He added that this is yet another indication that our Gulf seafood is safe for consumption. NOAA continues to work closely with the FDA and the Gulf states to ensure seafood safety. NOAA and FDA are working together on broad-scale seafood sampling that includes sampling seafood from inside and outside the closure area, as well as dockside and market-based sampling.
