Seafood from Open Gulf Waters Is Safe to Eat
By Kori Schulman, from The White House Blog
With the ongoing reopening of Gulf fisheries, fishermen are going back to work and Americans can confidently and safely enjoy Gulf seafood again.
Consumers need to know that seafood from the Gulf of Mexico is safe and fishermen need to be able to sell their products with confidence. That’s why there’s a comprehensive, coordinated, and multi-agency program to ensure the safety of Gulf Coast seafood. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are working with other Federal agencies and state officials to closely monitor the situation and its potential impact on the safety of seafood.
Seafood from open waters is safe to eat. Here are the facts:
- Every seafood sample from reopened waters has passed testing.
- When waters were impacted by oil or at risk of being impacted by oil, they were closed to fisherman.
- Areas considered for reopening must be free of oil before testing even starts.
- Dispersants were not applied in areas that are opened for fishing, and tests of reopened waters do not show the presence of any dispersants.
- FDA and NOAA test samples for oil and dispersants, and every sample from reopened waters has passed those tests.
Here are more resources to get the latest information on seafood safety:
From FDA.gov:
- FDA's Role In Seafood Safety
- Key Questions and Answers
- Seafood Safety and Dispersants Fact Sheet
- Reopening of Closed Waters Information by State
From NOAA.gov:
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Our waters are VAST and Iam sure the shrimp and fish in my area are just fine to eat as I eat it all the time, and fish for my own food.And will probably live longer than the people eating from fast food resturants. http://file-edu.com/2012/04/menjadi-teknisi-komputer-yang-terampil.html
this is insane!!!!!! do not eat any seafood from any river lake or ocean ever again!!! the oil has ruined our food and our animals for a looooong time
It's amazing how the government is trying their best to protect us. This is really good news for the fishermen's..I agree with the some facts that the seafood in the water are safe to eat.. Thanks for sharing good information. Interesting..
the govt isn't keeping you safe - if you think for one minute that any fish in the gulf is safe to eat , then you need your head examined - go converse with the people affected by the exxon oil spill - its taken 20 plus years to recover
If all of you alarmists are still interested in eating shrimp, your options are now Vietnam and Indonesia. Hmmm...I hear that quality control isn't exactly king in those areas and the inspectors approving their supply come from the same agency that says the gulf shrimp are safe. The same can be said for thousands of products on our market shelves. You can never be certain that what you are eating is contaminant free. The best you can do is minimize risks and enjoy your meal.
I live along the Gulf. What people dont seem to remember is way back when Texas was affected by an oil spill, wasnt long after that everyone has been enjoying seafood from the Gulf. Our waters are VAST and Iam sure the shrimp and fish in my area are just fine to eat as I eat it all the time, and fish for my own food.And will probably live longer than the people eating from fast food resturants. Our world has many other dangers sure to kill you faster than seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. So come swim in our beautiful Gulf and enjoy our paradise , you wont be disappointed... I swim all the time in the waters at Pensacola Beach and watch the sun sets. Enjoy your world you only live ONCE.
I agree with most of the above statements. With the amount of oil that was dispensed into the gulf, it's hard to believe that there would be no long term effect. Obviously, our statements are opinions only. I would feel better knowing what formula is used to be considered safe. Is the food just good enough to be edible? Thanks for the links to educate ourselves on how this decision was established.
To Whom It May Concern, I'm sorry to inform you of this; however, I will not be purchasing seafood from the gulf for a very, very long time if ever, and I've spoken to friends and relatives whom feel the same. I would give you my left arm knowing that in a few years, the gov't. will say something like, "sorry but now that people have died from consuming gulf seafood we have changed our minds, do not eat seafood from the gulf. We are still testing and investingating the waters." It happens every time. I know that if you do not inform the public that it is safe to consume seafood from the gulf, that it will have a devastating impact on the gulfs economy, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Sincerely, Larry
I absolutely agree. Oh by the way, Obama went swimming in the gulf waters so that means everything is perfect again??? Please, give me a break.
I agree why take the chance I was there two weeks ago only 1 person on the bayside and a few kids in the water and the boardwalk was very lite for early evening I have little trust when they say it is safe like there is no oil but we can read and its there just waiting.
I find it very hard to believe that the seafood from the gulf is safe. I will not be eating it & I will definitely not feed it to my children!
I would not even allow my dogs to eat the seafood from the gulf. I love them too much and it's not worth the risk.
Who do you think you're kidding? I'm not believing any of this!
Would not purcase any seafood from Gulf. Do believe people will get sick and they government will say oops, we made a mistake.