Fishermen from four Gulf states held a press conference and raises their concern over the re-opening of commercial fishing grounds after oil spill in the region. The press conference took place Saturday afternoon in Ocean Springs, Miss. following a listening session with Ray Mabus, the federal official in charge of developing a long-term Gulf restoration plan.
The press release said that the Gulf Coast fishermen do not want to sell tainted seafood but are being forced, by the premature opening of inland and gulf waters to commercial fishing, to choose between a clean gulf or their livelihood. The concerned fishermen are demanding that all dispersant use be stopped immediately and that all fishing re-openings be halted until seafood tissue sampling shows it to be safe.
By reopening the closed fishing grounds the fe4deral authorities are trying to convince the public that Gulf seafood is safe to eat. Walt Dickhoff, who oversees chemical testing for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Seattle seafood testing lab, told that Gulf seafood is receiving unprecedented scrutiny and that he’s “quite confident” it’s safe to eat. Meanwhile, Louisiana seafood promotion board chairman Harlon Pearce is heading up a delegation to Washington this week to tout the safety of his state’s product.
