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THE outlook for commercial fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, badly hit by the BP oil spills, is becoming a lot brighter.
The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has re-opened some 26,000 square miles of water that had been closed to fishing soon after the oil rig platform tragedy in April. This equate to around one third of the fishing area which has been closed by the authorities.
Monitoring by NOAA has established that the reopened area had been free of oil contamination for over a month, with trajectory models showing the region at low risk of being affected by oil in the future. Fish caught in the area has shown no signs of any contamination, says the NOAA.
US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke says that the reopening provides important assurance that seafood is safe and protects the Gulf seafood brand. Dr. Jane Lubchenco, head of the NOAA, said federal agencies were taking “extraordinary precautions” to ensure that contaminated fish were kept out of the marketplace.Fears of contamination were particularly unwarranted for the newly reopened fisheries, she said, as there was little oil seen in the area in the first place, and no oil has been observed there for one month.
The other good news for the fishermen is that with the leaking well capped, the level of contamination should start to reduce. However, their biggest problem at the moment is one of confidence. Although the authorities are saying fish from the area is safe to eat, the message not always believed by the seafood buying public. Both the fishing industry in that region, and seafood stores and restaurants have a big task on their hands to convince people.
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