Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Deputy Director-General Jim Groves announced that all seafood available on the market now has been caught before the oil spill took place or from outside the affected area and all subsequent seafood caught in the affected area will now be tested before going to market. He said that concern authority has confirmed an action plan to ensure the quality of seafood in the wake of the oil spill.
Groves also opined that commercial operators do not fish in the area affected by the oil spill. However, those operators who do decide to work in the area will be required to undertake testing of their catch before releasing it to market. It is told that an oil spill seafood sampling area has been developed by DPI&F. The seafood sampling area exceeds the position of the immediate oil spill to take into account the movement of marine species.
He explained that a testing regime has been established and will ensure that any seafood taken from within the sampling area does not reach the marketplace until testing occurs and shows there to be no adverse impacts from the oil spill. Seafood tested will be held in cold or frozen storage as per usual industry arrangements until results of testing are obtained. Queensland Health and DPI&F will communicate the results of tests to fishers as soon as possible.
