Federal Official Wary of Spill's Long-Term Impacts on Gulf Species
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - Although seafood caught in the Gulf of Mexico is safe to eat, the full impact that diluted oil from the BP spill is having on marine species will not be known for years, said ecologist Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Oil below the surface that has become highly diluted can still be very toxic even in "even when it's in very, very small microscopic droplets," Lubchenco said.
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Gulf waters as close as 54 miles north of the Deepwater BP wellhead are once again open for fishing.
Dockside tests on fish caught in the Gulf are especially concerned about the health of species when they are most vulnerable. The NOAA tests are focusing on fish eggs and the larvae of shrimp and crabs, Lubchenco said.
Lubchenco spoke at the Commonwealth Club on Wednesday.
