Its nearly 6 months since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill was stopped, what are the current conditions in the Gulf?
I've had a couple of friends who live on the gulf say that overall the conditions are great, beaches all clean,and the fishing is very good.
The media reports are all over the board depending on who you listen to.
So what do you think? Good time to go fishing? or not?
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M$3 Answers
The spilled oil, which was 19 times more than the Exxon Valdez spill, was treated with an unprecedented amount of chemical (nearly 2 million gallons) called Corexit. The Corexit contains toxic chemicals known to cause liver, kidney, and genetic damage, among other health problems, and its immediate and long-term impacts on the Gulf are yet unknown.
So while the Gulf waters and beaches may look clean and even pristine, I would wonder how those chemicals and the diluted and widely dispersed oil might be concentrated in fish and potentially impact humans who might eat them, particularly if eaten in any significant quantity.
You can read the article I'm referring to at http://earthjustice.org/blog/2010-october/day-mourning-6-month-anniversary-gulf-oil-spill
On the other hand, an article at the Eagle.com talks about how a team of experts from Texas A&M agreed as of late October, 2010, that fish from the Gulf was and is safe to eat. See: http://www.theeagle.com/local/Panel--OK-to-eat-fish-in-Gulf
Personally, if I had a choice to fish somewhere else, I would, at least until there's more follow-up information on the long-term health effects of eating fish from that area. But that's just me.
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M$
"the vast majority of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill is already gone, according to a final government report released last month."
Accoring to NOAA (as of Nov 2011) The gulf is open for fishing.
I live in Florida (east coast) and I have yet to hear of any issues over here for fishing, but maybe just the current never carried it over this way.
Here is a link about eating the fish to make sure its safe.
http://www.drozfans.com/dr-ozs-advice/dr-oz-is-fish-safe-to-eat-oil-spill-contamination-fears/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR201101100...
http://www.gulfcouncil.org/news_resources/hot_topics.php
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/deepwater_horizon/FB10-097_Reopening_Area%206_...
http://www.drozfans.com/dr-ozs-advice/dr-oz-is-fish-safe-to-eat-oil-spill-c...
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M$
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I agree, falcon18.
I would certainly think twice about fishing just yet! I don't believe for a minute, that it's O.K., as they put it) to eat fish from there yet. All those chemicals, just think about it, I would say it's a wee bit too soon!!
Outstanding answer... Well done!
I go wouldn't within one hundred miles of those waters or anything that came out of them!
Me and my team did extensive research back in october after i found out one of my staff had family down there and she was just all distraught. Those waters are now more polluted than any place on earth.
Checkout the research done by the Blueocean Institute as well.
http://www.BlueOcean.org/home
They gave a ted talk about the spill back in July. The chemicals they used wont start to dissipate for decades.
PS: See my question about this all back in july..
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/what-are-some-of-the-challenges-faced-with-the-containment-and-cleanup-of-the-gulf-coast-oil-disaster-and-what-are-some-ways-we-can-help
In the US if a chemical was found nearby a plant, in the water table, that plant has to clean that water to drinkable levels, even if the contaminants were not soley from their plant.
Now certainly there is no way to make that much ocean water drinkable and there is no need because we don't need to drink it. Shouldn't BP be held responsible to make this water livable for its inhabitants? I know it's a lot of water, but that was a lot of oil, and chemicals.