Gulf Oil Spill Update: Fishing Resumes in Pensacola, Dispersant Concerns Linger

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Gulf Oil Spill Update: Fishing Resumes in Pensacola, Dispersant Concerns Linger


Steven Hoffer
AOL News Surge Desk
(Aug. 2) -- Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg announced Monday that state waters in the Pensacola region of Florida are now reopened to commercial fishing of finfish and shrimp.

"I have heard first-hand from commercial fishermen and seafood processors about not only the importance of getting back to their livelihoods, but also their commitment to protecting the health of their customers and making sure consumers have the most up-to-date and accurate information available," Hamburg said in an FDA statement.

Fishing Reopens, With an Asterisk

The Florida announcement is the latest reopening in the region following the return of commercial fishermen to about 2,400 square miles of designated waters east of the Mississippi River in Louisiana and Mississippi state waters north of the barrier islands. As of Friday, state waters in Alabama remained closed, according to The Associated Press.

Although fishermen are allowed to return to these select regions, many restrictions are still in effect as to what wildlife is safe to be fished. For instance, while the FDA deemed finfish and shrimp to be all right in the Mississippi regions, all recreational and commercial crab and oyster fishing remains prohibited pending further testing.

Dispersants Debate Rages On

And despite optimism portrayed by government officials in light of the reopenings, many gulf fishermen remain concerned that the FDA is jumping the gun on reopening the waters, sighting persisting unsatisfactory conditions, the unknown long-term effects of chemical dispersants on fish and the psychology of consumers unwilling to purchase fish from the region regardless of government assurance.

Dispersants in particular have raised the suspicions of citizens and the government alike lately. Just take a look at a report released today by the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment suggesting that too much of the chemical compound was used to break up the spill (nearly 1.8 million gallons dumped, according to the report). The committee chair, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., also issued an open letter to retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, lambasting him for allowing BP to spray so much of the stuff and requesting more information on the potential effects.

"BP carpet bombed the ocean with these chemicals, and the Coast Guard allowed them to do it," Markey said in a statement, "After we discovered how toxic these chemicals really are, they had no business being spread across the Gulf in this manner."

The U.S. Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency and some scientists have countered that the use of dispersants was necessary, safe and in compliance with federal and state environmental guidelines. As such, while the spill and the commercial fishing industry look to be on the mend, the debate over dispersants is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
http://www.aolnews.com/surge-desk/article/gulf-oil-spill-update-fishing-resumes-in-pensacola-but-dispers/19578110

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