Oysters And Oil: Coastal States Struggle With Seafood Safety
Everyone feels sick about the vast amounts of oil continuing to leak into the Gulf of Mexico. And, for the last 2 months, it has been impossible to visit your favorite news site without cringing at the depressing headlines and photos.
Thankfully, however, in addition to the ongoing containment and clean-up efforts, our government and the seafood industry are working diligently to protect us from becoming ill (literally) from seafood tainted by the massive spill.
The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) is working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) and other federal and state agencies to monitor the safety of seafood from the Gulf. The agencies have issued several assurances to the public that their efforts should prevent any contaminated seafood from reaching our shores.
The NOAA’s first action was to swiftly close waters polluted by the oil spill to fishing and shellfish harvesting. NOAA has the authority to close Federal waters, and also works closely with the coastal states (who have authority to close waters within 3 miles of their shoreline). These closed areas continue to expand as the agency monitors the movement of the oil. A map of the closed Federal waters illustrates the enormity of the situation and its impact on our seafood industry.
The FDA affirms that “closing harvest waters which could be exposed to the oil is the best way to protect the public from potentially contaminated seafood, because it keeps the product from entering the food supply.” It has been over 60 days since the oil began pouring into the Gulf, and the well is still releasing as much as 2.5 millions of gallons of oil each day.
So, when will seafood from the region be safe again?
FDA and NOAA have a plan to answer this vital question. Under the plan, harvest waters will not re-open until oil from the spill is no longer present and the seafood samples from the area pass both sensory analysis by trained experts and a chemical analysis to ensure there are no harmful residues.
Some coastal food processing plants are still able to harvest product from Gulf areas not yet affected by the spill. These processors are complying with a surveillance sampling program just implemented by the FDA by providing samples of oysters, crabs and shrimp for pollutant testing. This current testing, and the analyses to be performed once waters are re-opened, will verify that the seafood on our tables is safe to eat.
On June 14, 2010, the FDA distributed a letter to seafood processors emphasizing the processors’ obligations under the FDA’s Fish and Fishery Products Regulation. Click on the following link to view a copy of the FDA Letter. FDA urges processors to verify that their HACCP plans account for the hazard created by the oil spill, and to reassess the plans as needed. FDA also advises processors on their duty to only process fish and shellfish harvested from waters that have not been closed. FDA and NOAA said they would increase inspections to ensure that processors maintain proper documentation on the origin of their products.
While we can feel confident in the federal food safety strategy to deal with this disaster, the full impact of this spill on the Gulf Coast seafood industry will not be known for years. Thirty percent of the Gulf of Mexico federal waters are currently closed, with no re-open date in sight.
AmeriPure, one of America’s largest suppliers of Gulf oysters, just temporarily closed its doors because it could not harvest enough to keep operating. AmeriPure is remarkable for the pasteurization-like process it applies to its oysters. The process does not affect quality, but leaves the oysters safe to eat. We applaud AmeriPure’s commitment to food safety, and extend our sincere hope to both the company and seafood industry that the well can be quickly capped and seafood, rather than oil, will once again begin flowing from the Gulf.
