Today NOAA reopened 5,144 square milesof Gulf waters to commercial and recreational finfish fishing. The reopening was announced after consultation with FDA and under a re-opening protocol agreed to by NOAA, the FDA, and the Gulf states.

Since July 3, NOAA data have shown no oil in the area, and United States Coast Guard observers flying over the area in the last 30 days have also not observed any oil. Trajectory models show the area is at a low risk for future exposure to oil and, most importantly, fish caught in the area and tested by NOAA experts have shown no signs of contamination.

“Consumer safety is NOAA’s primary concern, which is why we developed rigorous safety standards in conjunction with the FDA and the Gulf states to ensure that seafood is safe in the reopened area,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “We are confident that Gulf fish from this area is safe to eat and pleased that recreational and commercial fisherman can fish these waters again.”

At its closest point, the area to be reopened is about 115 miles northeast of the Deepwater/BP wellhead.

From June 27 through July 20, NOAA sampled 153 finfish, including grouper, snapper, tuna and mahi mahi, from the area. Sensory and chemical testing of these finfish followed the methodology and procedures in the re-opening protocol, with sensory analysis finding no detectable oil or dispersant odors or flavors, and results of chemical analysis well below the levels of concern.

”We know how important it is to the culture and economy of this region to get back out on the water and be able to once again harvest the seafood that the Gulf is famous for,” said Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, commissioner of food and drugs. “But our top priority in the wake of this disaster must be the safety of the fish that makes it to market. We are confident that the proper processes have been followed, and that consumers can feel good once again serving their families seafood from these waters.”

NOAA will continue to take samples for testing from the newly re-opened area, and the agency has also implemented dockside sampling to test fish caught throughout the Gulf by commercial fishermen.

Fishing closures remain the first line of defense to prevent contaminated seafood from entering the marketplace. NOAA continues to work closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Gulf states to ensure seafood safety. NOAA and FDA are working together on broad-scale seafood sampling that includes sampling seafood from inside and outside the closure area, as well as dockside and market-based sampling.

The closed area now covers 52,395 miles, or 22 percent of the federal waters in the Gulf, down from 37 percent at its height. On July 22, NOAA reopened 26,388 square miles of Gulf waters off of the Florida Peninsula.

NOAA has a number of methods for the public to obtain information or be notified when there is a change to the closed area:

Sign up to receive Southeast Fishery Bulletins by email at SERO.Communications.Comments@noaa.gov

• Call 1-800-627-NOAA (1-800-627-6622) to hear a recording of the current coordinates in English, Vietnamese, and Spanish
• Listen to NOAA Weather Radio for messages about the closure
• Receive text messages on your cell phone about changes to the closed area by texting fishing@gulf to 84469 (visit http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/go/doc/2931/558107for more information)
• Follow us on Twitter: @usnoaagov to get a tweet when the closed area changes

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Visit us at http://www.noaa.gov or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/usnoaagov.

LDWF Secretary Robert Barham announced the opening of recreational fishing in a portion of the Mississippi River Delta in Plaquemines Parish effective July 29 at 6:00 p.m.

Description of area open is as follows:

• The portion of state inside and outside waters south of the northern shore of Pass a Loutre westward to the western shoreline of Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River shall open to recreational fishing.

MIAMI, May 3 (Reuters) - BP Plc (BP.L) is ready to pay all legitimate claims tied to the oil spill caused by the accident at its Gulf of Mexico undersea well, Chief Executive Tony Hayward told National Public Radio on Monday.

"We've made it clear that where legitimate claims are made, we will be good for them," Hayward said.

"We have the claims process set up, small claims today that are being paid instantly ... bigger claims we clearly have a process to run through," the BP chief executive added.

He said the London-based company fully accepted responsibility for the spill and would pay for the cleanup operation.

The huge slick caused by the spill is heading for the U.S. Gulf shore in what President Barack Obama has called a "massive and potentially unprecedented environmental disaster".

BP has not put an estimate on the likely costs of the spill, which follows the explosion and sinking of a drilling rig operated by Swiss-based driller Transocean (RIG.N) last month.

BP said last week that it and its partners in the well, including Anadarko Petroleum (APC.N), were paying $6 million a day in clean-up efforts but admitted costs would rise sharply when the oil slick hit land, as would claims for damages.

Hayward said the technical options his company was working on to try to seal the ruptured well included an undersea containment system that would capture the leaking oil and channel it to a tanker on the surface.

"It's fabricated and will be on location next weekend," he said.

Another option, the drilling of a relief well to intersect and try to control the ruptured well, was also "now underway," Hayward added.

BP was also using undersea robotic vehicles to try to fix the well blowout preventer -- a mechanism that he said had failed to prevent the oil gushing from the ruptured well following the rig accident.

"No one understands why it's failed. We have assembled in Houston 160 companies from across the industry to focus on this task," Hayward said. (Reporting by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Paul Simao)

Posted: 25 Apr 2010 10:45 AM PDT

A watchstander from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a call at approximately 11:30 p.m., Saturday, from a crewmember aboard the vessel, Global Lift 9, reporting that they were in distress and taking on 8-foot seas with three people on board.

Coast Guard Sector New Orleans launched an MH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter and crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans to the scene. The helicopter crew hoisted the three uninjured people and transported them to the Harry P. Williams Airport in Patterson, La.

The owners of the Global Lift 9 will coordinate a retrieval plan for the vessel on Sunday.

A watchstander from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received a call at approximately 3:30 p.m., Sunday, from a crewmember aboard the vessel, Capt. Monk, reporting that they had run aground with four people on board and the bow of the vessel was taking on waves causing the hull to flood.

Coast Guard Sector New Orleans launched an MH-65C Dolphin rescue helicopter and crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans to the scene. The helicopter crew hoisted the four uninjured people and transported them to the Houma-Terrebonne Airport in Houma, La.

The Coast Guard issued an Urgent Marine Broadcast to Mariners as a caution for the grounded vessel. The Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit in Houma will oversee salvage operations for the Capt. Monk.