Gulf of Mexico makes dramatic comeback from Deepwater Horizon oil spill

From Al.com (Alabama): Gulf of Mexico makes dramatic comeback from Deepwater Horizon oil spill

by Michael C. Bolton
As I watched the ghastly photos and videos of the unfolding Deepwater Horizon oil spill last year, I told anyone who would listen that the Gulf of Mexico would never recover in our lifetimes.

I assumed that there would never again be fishing as we know it. I also assumed that the rich bounty that the Gulf produces would not be edible for decades.

Some scientist I am, huh?

There is more and more evidence that Mother Nature is a dang good cleaning lady. The recovery of the Gulf of Mexico has been nothing less than dramatic.

The recent Alabama Deep Sea Rodeo provided the opportunity for many different species of fish to be tested. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had a team of researchers and scientists on hand at the rodeo to collect tissue samples from the fish that were caught all the way from Florida to Louisiana waters.

The group was looking for the bad stuff such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons that cause all kinds of problems including being carcinogenic in some cases. The group also looked for any chemicals found in the dispersants sprayed on the oil slicks.

The group conducted tests of 942 tissue samples during and after the rodeo. The group stayed on Dauphin Island following the rodeo and tested oyster and shrimp, too.

FDA officials say the tests showed that the fish, shrimp and oysters were every bit as safe to eat as they were prior to the spill. Minute but safe levels of several chemicals were found in the fish, oysters and shrimp, but all the tests were within limits of tissue samples prior to the oil spill. They were at levels that the FDA considers safe for human consumption.

FDA officials say the chemicals they found are part of the Gulf's normal environment. The Gulf was by no means pristine prior to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. An estimated 20 million to 50 million gallons of crude oil leak into the Gulf each year.

No one is saying that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused no lasting effects on the Gulf. Still in question is whether the spill caused a loss of spawning seasons for many fish important to the Gulf. That likely won't be known for several years.

Many creatures in nature have a remarkable ability to bounce back from even the worst damage inflicted upon them. Scientists were well aware that fish and shellfish exposed to other oil spills have shown the ability to metabolize and excrete many contaminants. The magnitude of the Deepwater Horizon spill raised the question of how much is too much.

It is incredibly good news that the Gulf's inhabitants seemed to have shrugged off this enormous attack on their habitat.

This is no time to say everything is back to normal, though. The FDA will continue its testing and the Alabama Marine Resources Division is beginning a three-year seafood-testing program.