NOAA on April 19th reopened to commercial and recreational fishing 1,041 square miles of Gulf waters immediately surrounding the Deepwater Horizon wellhead, just east of Louisiana. This is the twelfth and final reopening in federal waters since July 22, and opens all of the areas in Federal waters formerly closed to fishing due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011: The last area in federal waters closed to fishing due to the oil spill reopens.
Download Here (Credit: NOAA)
“I am pleased to announce that all federal waters affected by the spill are now open to all fishing,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA Administrator. “I thank fishermen and the public for their patience and FDA for its support and cooperation throughout this process while we worked diligently to ensure the integrity of Gulf seafood.”
NOAA sampled this area between November 11 and November 14, 2010, March 12 and March 16, 2011, and March 28 and April 1, 2011, for potentially affected finfish, including tuna, swordfish, and escolar. Sensory analyses of 86 finfish samples and chemical analyses of 112 finfish samples in eight composites followed the methodology and procedures in the reopening protocol, with sensory analysis finding no detectable oil or dispersant odors or flavors, and results of chemical analysis for oil-related compounds and dispersants well below the levels of concern. All test results are publicly available.
As announced on October 29, NOAA and FDA developed and implemented a chemical test to detect the presence of dispersants in fish, oysters, crabs and shrimp. The level of concern for dispersants is 100 parts per million for finfish and 500 parts per million for shrimp. The test can reliably detect Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS) at levels of 2000 times below the lowest level of concern. The results of chemical testing showed that 99 percent of samples contained no detectable dispersant residues, and the few samples that did contain dispersant residues showed levels more than 1000 times lower than FDA levels of concern.
“Throughout this process, public health and safety has been our primary goal,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “This has been an extraordinary team effort and the reopening of these federal waters serves as a dramatic example of what cooperation between federal agencies can accomplish.”
NOAA continues to work closely with the FDA and the Gulf states to ensure seafood safety. Thousands of test results, all publicly available, prove Gulf seafood is safe from oil and dispersant contamination.
The total area reopened today is about 0.4 percent of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico and 100 percent of the formerly closed area, as last modified on February 2, 2011. No oil or sheen has been documented in the area since August 4. At its peak, the closed area was 88,522 square miles, or 37 percent of Federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Gulf Scene Investigation: Oil Analysis
One year after the Deepwater BP oil spill, state and federal agency partners have collected almost 30,000 samples to determine impacts to the Gulf's natural resources. It's an unprecedented number of samples compared to any other U.S. oil spill.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.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011: The last area in federal waters closed to fishing due to the oil spill reopens.
Download Here (Credit: NOAA)
“I am pleased to announce that all federal waters affected by the spill are now open to all fishing,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA Administrator. “I thank fishermen and the public for their patience and FDA for its support and cooperation throughout this process while we worked diligently to ensure the integrity of Gulf seafood.”
NOAA sampled this area between November 11 and November 14, 2010, March 12 and March 16, 2011, and March 28 and April 1, 2011, for potentially affected finfish, including tuna, swordfish, and escolar. Sensory analyses of 86 finfish samples and chemical analyses of 112 finfish samples in eight composites followed the methodology and procedures in the reopening protocol, with sensory analysis finding no detectable oil or dispersant odors or flavors, and results of chemical analysis for oil-related compounds and dispersants well below the levels of concern. All test results are publicly available.
As announced on October 29, NOAA and FDA developed and implemented a chemical test to detect the presence of dispersants in fish, oysters, crabs and shrimp. The level of concern for dispersants is 100 parts per million for finfish and 500 parts per million for shrimp. The test can reliably detect Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS) at levels of 2000 times below the lowest level of concern. The results of chemical testing showed that 99 percent of samples contained no detectable dispersant residues, and the few samples that did contain dispersant residues showed levels more than 1000 times lower than FDA levels of concern.
“Throughout this process, public health and safety has been our primary goal,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “This has been an extraordinary team effort and the reopening of these federal waters serves as a dramatic example of what cooperation between federal agencies can accomplish.”
NOAA continues to work closely with the FDA and the Gulf states to ensure seafood safety. Thousands of test results, all publicly available, prove Gulf seafood is safe from oil and dispersant contamination.
The total area reopened today is about 0.4 percent of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico and 100 percent of the formerly closed area, as last modified on February 2, 2011. No oil or sheen has been documented in the area since August 4. At its peak, the closed area was 88,522 square miles, or 37 percent of Federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Gulf Scene Investigation: Oil Analysis
Scientists have been collecting thousands of plant, animal, soil, and water samples to determine how the oil has impacted the Gulf's natural resources. After collection in the field, the samples get shipped to labs around the country for analysis. The samples follow strict procedures for collection, extraction, analysis, and review. This ensures that the results are accurate, and that we have a complete understanding of the impacts of the spill.
Scientists are working hard to analyze many types of samples for a variety of reasons--seafood safety, for example. In our latest video, we go inside the lab to get a better understanding of how samples are analyzed, what scientists are looking for, and what happens to the data. The samples being analyzed in this video will help inform the Natural Resource Damage Assessment--the process that determines how an oil spill affects the environment and ensures the responsible parties pay for restoration.
For more information, visit http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov
No comments:
Post a Comment