One thing I hadn’t thought about with the Gulf oil spill was the safety of seafood. Actually, I don’t even really think about where my seafood comes from, I just see it and eat it.
We already know a lot of fishermen are out of work and we’ve seen the pictures of wildlife covered in oil. Is the Gulf seafood safe to eat?
According to President Obama and other experts, it is indeed. Everyone from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the researchers at Louisiana State University and local state agencies are testing the marine life to make sure it is safe. NOAA has trained 60 inspectors to detect chemicals in the marine life just through smell.
Shrimp and crab are good to go and about half the oyster beds are still open for harvesting. It may cost you a bit more, but there is seafood available.
But, the media’s coverage of the oil spill may be harming business. AOL News is also reporting that bloggers are telling the world the seafood is unsafe. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke didn’t really help the situation last week when he said Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are experiencing a “fisheries disaster.”
Robbie Walker of Louisiana Seafood Exchange said that they are losing money because “some people don’t believe that we’re still in business down here.” And by “they,” he means all Gulf companies involved in the seafood business from shrimpers and crabbers to truck drivers, processors, and people who sell it. He went on to say “We need consumers to understand and believe that we’re delivering a safe, quality product, because we are.”
Gavin Gibbons of the National Fisheries Institute reports that while Gulf fin fish such as red snapper, amberjack, swordfish, and grouper are being caught at 60 to 70 percent the normal rate, it is still adequate enough to supply the market. Ewell Smith of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board points out that about 70 percent of the coastline in the Gulf still remains “open and oil-free.”