U.S. officials reopened another 9 percent of the Gulf of Mexico fishing areas that had been closed by the BP Plc oil spill, saying the seafood is safe to eat.
The decision followed tests that found no detectable odor or flavor of oil or dispersant and no chemical levels of concern, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a statement today.
About 22 percent of the Gulf’s federal waters, or 52,395 square miles, remains off limits to commercial and recreational fishing, NOAA said. The government had closed as much as 37 percent of the Gulf to fishing after the biggest U.S. offshore oil spill in history.
The Gulf of Mexico’s commercial fish and shellfish harvest was about 1.3 billion pounds (589,670 metric tons) worth $661 million in 2008, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Gulf supplied about 73 percent of shrimp in the U.S., or 188.8 million pounds worth $367 million that year.
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