Sunday, 02 December 2007 23:41

Governor Reopens Fishing and Crabbing in SF Bay

You can put Dungeness crab back on your holiday menus again --  Governor Schwarzenegger has reopened fishing in the San Francisco Bay, since test results show no significant health risk from eating marine life caught in the area impacted by the oil spill. The exceptions are commercial oyster facilities and mussels caught in two locations: Berkeley Marina and Rodeo Beach in Marin County. On Nov. 13, the Governor closed fishing in the Bay so that tests on the fish could be conducted after a container ship struck a Bay Bridge abutment west of Yerba Buena Island and spilled fuel into the bay.  Some 58,000 gallons of bunker oil poured into the water, polluting beaches and covering hundreds of seabirds. Sample testing has shown that marine life in the Bay and coastal waters are fit for human consumption. Specifically, the Dungeness crab season will immediately resume and the season for herring will open as previously scheduled. While fish and shellfish from the spill area, with the exception of mussels in the two locations, are safe to eat, it is still possible for marine life to come into contact with pockets of oil over the next several months. Health officials recommend that sport fishers take a common sense approach and avoid consuming fish and shellfish with an oily smell or taste.