The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA has declared that the Gulf of Mexico seafood is safe to eat but at the same time issue statement that sick fish are present with bacteria in the Gulf. These sick fish may pose health problems if eaten raw, says NOAA. The agency is telling anglers to toss fish that have lesions, fin rot or discolored skin back into the Gulf and to be careful about handling them. NOAA says its fisheries division has sampled finfish and has not observed any with lesions. But it acknowledged that fishermen and scientists have recently reported and documented lesions on fish they are catching in federal waters off Alabama.
Jim Cowan Jr., the Louisiana State University Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences, said that the reports of sick fish correlate with areas most impacted by the BP oil spill. A week ago, LSU scientists determined that lesions on red snapper found within 20 miles of Orange Beach, Ala., were infected with two bacteria common in the Gulf environment — Vibrio vulnificus and Photobacterium damselae.
But John Stein, director of NOAA Fisheries seafood testing program, said the bacteria are susceptible to heat. The Sea Lab is collecting fish samples this week for further scrutiny by the FDA. A broader survey is poised to begin to determine whether the sick fish extend to areas beyond Alabama coastal waters.
