July 23, 2010 – Last night, Jane Lubchenco, Administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said at a press conference that NOAA is reopening a third of the "overall closed fishing area of the Gulf of Mexico after a consultation with our partner, the Food and Drug Administration-and under a reopening protocol agreed to by NOAA, the FDA and the Gulf States."
The area encompasses 26,388 square miles and lie Southeast of the overall area, Lubcheno said. The reopening became effective last night at 6:00 Eastern Time. "It gives fishermen access to important fishing grounds, and because NOAA followed a reopening protocol agreed to by the FDA, NOAA and the Gulf States, it also protects consumers and helps prevent contaminated seafood from entering the marketplace."
NOAA will continue to monitor the situation in the gulf by taking samples for testing on the newly re-opened area, and the agency has also implemented dock site sampling to test fish caught throughout the Gulf by commercial fisherman.
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