TALLAHASSEE — With Memorial Day kicking off the summer recreational season, you can make your get-togethers with family and friends even more enjoyable with delicious Florida seafood, which is safe, plentiful and available.
State officials believe that intensive news coverage of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has left some consumers with the mistaken impression that Florida seafood is either unavailable or in limited supply. Officials remind consumers that the oil spill has not impacted all the waters of the gulf and that Florida's commercial fishermen continue to harvest seafood products from these clean waters.
In fact, the Florida Wildlife and Conservation Commissioner, at the request of Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson, opened summer oyster harvesting areas in the gulf early this year.
"With demand for safe Gulf oysters at a peak, this action benefits both our oyster industry and consumers alike," Bronson said. "The opening of the summer oyster harvest should be viewed by consumers that all gulf seafood in restaurants and markets is safe and wholesome."
Bronson is reminding consumers that all seafood products harvested from the closure line to shore — including grouper, snapper, swordfish, golden tilefish, mullet, blue crab, oysters, clams, flounder, sea trout, shrimp and others — are safe.
"If and when Florida waters are impacted by the spill, we will take immediate action to close the waters to commercial seafood harvesting," Bronson said. "Our commercial fishermen take great pride in the quality reputation that Florida seafood products have earned, and we would never put any product on the market that would tarnish that hard-earned reputation."
There are over 80 types of native seafood available in Florida. The Department's Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing has developed numerous recipes that feature many different types of Florida's fish and shellfish.
Source: FDACS
