September 07, 2011
By Ross Purnell, Editor
One year ago I was working with author Mike Conner on a story on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In that story, Conner postulated that we'd need time to see if the oil from the rig— and the dispersants from the cleanup— would have a negative effect on Gulf of Mexico gamefish. More than a year later, some answers are coming in, and so far, it seems the spill has had little effect on gamefish like redfish, yellowfin tuna, snapper, and 15 other official gamefish in the state of Louisiana.
Last week I fished with Eric Newman of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries whose job it is to catch 18 different gamefish per month from a broad range of geographic areas with potential for contact with Deepwater Horizon oil. So far, all the tissue samples (Newman has sent more than 2,000 to the lab in a little over 12 months) have come back negative. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, gulf of Mexico fish is safe to eat. Not only safe, but absolutely delicious as after the biological sample goes to the lab, there's still three quarters of a fish (usually) left for eating, and as it turns out, Newman is a hell of a chef as well.
Watch the accompanying video to see Capt. Newman describe his work firsthand.
