July 2, 2010

Health officials from various states have signed an agreement with US federal agencies including the FDA and Environmental Protection Agency to ensure seafood pulled from the Gulf is safe to eat.

The participating states include Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. They have joined forces to ensure contaminated seafood from the Gulf of Mexico does not find its way on to consumers' plates.

US Vice President Joe Biden visits fishermen in New Orleans on Tuesday (June 29). They were put out of work by to the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. Crude oil has been pouring into the Gulf since the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig. The deal calls for a uniform testing protocol and includes an agreement on when to close and reopen stretches of water to fishing.

"No single agency could adequately ensure the safety of seafood coming from the Gulf following this tragedy," said Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

"In working together, we can be sure that tainted waters are closed as appropriate, contaminated seafood is not allowed to make it to market and that closed waters can be reopened to fishing as soon as it is safe," Schwaab said.

Authorities are monitoring fish that have been caught just outside of closed-off areas to test for petroleum compounds. So far, fish caught outside the closed areas have tested below any level of concern for oil-based contamination.

Louisiana and Florida have already applied to have some areas that were previously closed reopened to fishing.