US Commits to Seafood Safety

The US federal government has reached an agreement with Gulf Coast states to set safety levels for seafood from the Gulf of Mexico.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and US Food and Drug Administration said the effort was designed to reopen closed fishing areas as soon as possible.

State authorities in Louisiana are applying the protocol to consider the possible reopening of two areas and the NOAA is applying the protocol to consider the reopening of two closed areas off the coasts of Louisiana and Florida.

State and federal authorities moved a step toward reopening their agreement on a shared protocol that will be applied as oil contamination abates in federal and state waters.