Editor's Note: Reporting for this article took place as a result of a fellowship from the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting at the University of Rhode Island.

5 Comments

1. 1. the Gaul 04:29 PM 4/21/11

   What exactly does a retired Coast Guard Admiral know about nutrition?
   "Officially safe?" Nothing evident yet? Thalidomide was safe when it was first used, too. Remember how that worked out?
   I grieve for the Gulf fishermen whose numbers will dwindle when the effects of this disaster reach your table.

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2. 2. Roth5314 07:55 PM 4/21/11

   The Government has been lying to us for so long about so many things that it's hard to believe anything the Government says anymore. Admiral Allen is particularly hard to believe because he was pitching the Government line all during the Gulf disaster. I still don't eat gulf seafood, and I always ask where seafood comes from.

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3. 3. gunslingor in reply to the Gaul 01:42 PM 4/22/11

   Don't forget that all legal limits for contaminents of seafood were raised 10 fold in the 90s. Mercury for example was found to be ten times the legal limit or more in hundreds of species sampled around the world. They tested hundreds of species, thousands of times; its pretty conclusive, mercury is a minimum of ten times the limit it was 10 years ago in every fish you eat. much higher in shellfish. What did the government do in response to this terrible truth? Guess what, they raised the legal limit by ten fold. Plus, there is virtualy no testing.
   "have been detected but at levels well below any threat to human health and safety."
   -What they mean to say is acute effects. They aren't concerned with long term or cumulative effects, which are much harder prove in court. They are saying you can eat it and won't get sick, but they aren't saying you'll live a long and productive life if you eat fish everyday. Before the spill, doctors were obligated to recommend to pregnant women not to eat fish more than once a week (again, only concerned with acute effects here as well).
   -Remember, just 50 years ago, fish was the healthiest food on the planet; now, it's low grade poison. The oil spill only made matters worse... but remember, there are around 10,000 oil spills reported a year (each reportable incident is about a barrel or more).
   -We are destroying our home, this is unquesionable.

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4. 4. lauriewiegler 05:10 PM 4/22/11

   Hi, David. I ate a huge plate of Gulf seafood while I was in Ga. in January. It was only later that I pondered a PR's comment that we really didn't know for sure how safe it was. I think if we learned anything from the aftereffects of the oil spill it was that we need to severely scrutinize the government agencies tasked with protecting us. That said, I'd eat it again. The taste outweighs the risk - at least in small doses.

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5. 5. electric38 04:02 PM 4/28/11

   Will the radioactivity that was added to seawater be able to cancel the effects of the oil pollutants? Just kidding. I doubt any reports that surface will accurately portray what the oil has done to the health of the earth. There's too much money, (purchased) political and media influence at stake. The "energy" monopolies will continue to skew or soften the facts so that everything continues the way it is.
   Of course the fishermen are going to say all is OK. Their jobs and families rely on this resource. Of course the tourism industry is going to downplay the effects. Wouldn't you?

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