State Starts Process To Reopen Waters To Commercial Fishing

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is gathering thousands of samples of crab, shrimp and finfish from bays west of the Mississippi Delta. The area's been closed since earlier this summer when oil flowed in from BP's well in the Gulf of Mexico. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Food and Drug Administration will conduct chemical and smell testing to determine if the seafood is safe to eat. They'll be checking for oil as well as the chemical dispersants used to break up the oil. Result should be ready in two weeks. About 43-thousand square miles of federal waters farther offshore remain closed to commercial fishing.
For NPR News, I'm Eileen Fleming in New Orleans