By: Mary Alice Shreve   Date: 7/28/10

As a Gulf Coast native, “cocktail and tartar sauce” were part of my vocabulary by age six. I grew up learning how to peel shrimp, cast with a rod and reel, and check a crab trap. I will never hesitate to devour a basket of fried crab claws (even as a future Registered Dietitian), and I turn my nose up at so-called seafood restaurants that do not offer fresh Gulf fare. In my hometown of Mobile, Alabama, we had “crawfish boils” for graduation parties, and raw oyster eating contests are still a favorite pastime among locals. Needless to say, I am one of many who come from communities that thrive off seafood from the Gulf of Mexico. 

In the aftermath of the BP Deepwater Horizon blast and subsequent oil spill, the question on Gulf Coast residents and the rest of the nation’s minds alike is, “What about the seafood?” In May, the Louisiana State University Agcenter and the University of Minnesota interviewed over 1,000 consumers concerning their attitudes toward seafood and the oil spill. The researchers found that 44% of those who expressed that the spill has affected their seafood eating habits are opting not to consume seafood from the Gulf. The survey also found that 89% of those interviewed were “at least somewhat concerned” about how the oil might impact the Gulf’s seafood .

With that in mind, here are some facts to set the record straight about seafood safety in relation to the oil spill:

The Food & Drug Adminsitration (FDA), National Oceanic & Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA) , Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Fisheries Institute, National Shellfish Sanitation Program, several other government agencies,  state officials and industry are all working together to monitor and protect Gulf seafood.

 Gulf seafood currently available in stores and restaurants is only from those areas regarded safe by state and federal officials.

 An ongoing “surveillance sampling program” is being conducted at processing plants along the Gulf Coast, and seafood will continue to be tested for as long as the water is oiled.

 NOAA states that all samples collected have tested “pristine.” Even seafood that has been in the “thick” of the oil spill has been tested as safe.

 “For the seafood to pose a health risk, the food would have to be heavily contaminated with oil, and would therefore have a strong odor and taste of oil,” reports CDC .

 Oil dispersants are not known to build up in seafood organisms. The dispersants, used only in deep-sea waters, increase the surface area of the oil so as to allow Gulf microbes to filter it out of the water. While it is unlikely that the dispersants will appear in seafood, they are still being tested as to their effects if ingested.

 At least 70% of the Gulf is still open for commercial fishing; most closures have been “precautionary” (oil has not actually hit those areas but has had the potential).

Bottom Line
The National Fisheries Institute (NFI)  states that 40% of the fish harvested in the lower 48 states comes from the Gulf of Mexico. Most seafood (80%) consumed in the United States is imported, however 90% of shrimp, number one in US per capita consumption for seafood, is imported.

So far there is no official, documented incident of contaminated seafood, such as an “oil-leaking oyster,” provided by a restaurant or retailer since the spill. The only hint of oil that has been found in seafood was in crab larvae off Southern Mississippi. Studies show that by the time the larvae grow, the oil in them will likely disappear.  If Gulf seafood is safe for President Obama to consume on each of his visits to the coastal states since the spill, then it is safe for you, as well.

Check out the following resources for up-to-date information on seafood safety, and in the meantime, enjoy an easy recipe for a light and summery seafood dinner (below):

FDA’s Q and A about oil spill
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/Seafood/ucm210970.htm

Center for Disease Control’s “Emergency Preparedness and Response”
http://emergency.cdc.gov/gulfoilspill2010/

NOAA’s Public Protection Plan
http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/posted/2931/NOAA_FDA_Surveillance_Plan_6_2_14_CLEARED_658415.658415.pdf

Debbie Bailey's Foil Packet Fish

4 6-oz filets of any fish
1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil (brush on fish)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 T fresh rosemary

Place fish on foil, top each filet with:

2 lemon slices
1 T lemon juice
2 T Marsala or white wine
1 t capers

Fold into packet - place on hot coals for ten minutes until fish is flakey. Can top with shrimp or crabmeat.