With multiple inspections being carried out government and industry following the spill, Gulf seafood has probably never been safer than it is today. Officials with the National Oceanic Atmospheric (NOAA) and Food and Drug (FDA) administrations continue to work together to prohibit fishing in areas most likely to harbor residual oil from the spill. Consequently, the areas nearest the spill site continue to be closed to commercial and recreational fishing — not necessarily because oil is present but as a precaution to ensure oil-tainted products do not reach the market.
Although the media continue to underscore that the spill was the largest in U.S. history, we shold remember that this spill differs widely from previous accidents — the 1989 Exxon Valdez, for example. Unlike the tarry black goop that coated the rocky shores of Prince William Sound, Alaska (some of which remains today), the material stemming from the Gulf spill was comprised mostly of gaseous and relatively lightweight hydrocarbons and contained little of the type of asphaltic material associated with the Exxon Valdez spill. Compared with the Exxon Valdez spill, both of these substances are quickly broken down to fatty acids, carbon dioxide and water by naturally occurring Gulf bacteria
Moreover, the spill occurred in mile-deep water, providing considerable time for the more water soluble hydrocarbons in the crude (i.e., the gasses and lightweight aromatics like benzene) to dissolve and dilute to nontoxic levels before reaching the surface. All reports of remaining dispersed oil droplets in the water column following the accident indicate that these “plumes” are located in 3,000 to 5,000 feet of water at concentrations of 500 parts per billion or less. (A part per billion is the equivalent of a thimble-full of oil evenly dispersed in the volume of water contained in an Olympic- sized swimming pool).
Shrimp comprise the most valuable commercial fishery in the Gulf and typically are captured in waters less than 300 feet deep. Few, if any, finfish species are targeted in 3,000+ feet of water.
Even if dispersed oil remains in the water column in sufficient concentration to taint fish flesh, it is highly unlikely that commercially harvested shrimp or fish will ever have encounter these plumes.
This FAQ was authored by Russ Miget who is a member of the Extension/Sea Grant Gulfwide seafood safety team responding to the oil spill. Russ can be contacted at russ.miget@tamucc.edu

Browse related Faqs by tag: food safety, fscop, foodsafety, seafood, oil spill