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Photo by a Florida fisherman of the badly oil-saturated inners of a fish he caught.
Fish and bottom-dwellers like shrimp are still at high risk of oil contamination of their bodies and organs in the Gulf due to the BP Oil Disaster, despite assurances to the contrary by various officials.
Interview of Nancy "Mac" Mackenzie of NOLA Emergency Response by Project Gulf Impact:
Seafood Testing Reveals 193 parts per million of "Oil & Grease" in Shrimp from Venice LA.
(Oil in food is considered toxic at 11 ppm)
Project Gulf Impact Statement:
Despite repeated statements from the EPA and NOAA assuring residents that thorough Gulf of Mexico seafood testing has revealed levels safe for human consumption, public skepticism has continued to deter many locals from their usual seafood medley. Independent scientists have expressed concern over the published methods and protocols used by federal agencies to open sensitive fishing grounds & determine seafood safety. Invertebrates, such as shrimp, crab, & oysters, are of particular concern due to their feeding habits, relatively stationary lifestyle, and inability to process highly toxic compounds found in crude oil called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH). Unfortunately, their concerns have proven valid.
One local activist, "Mac" Mackenzie of NOLA Emergency Response, decided that it was time to take matters into her own hands. After an incessant 7-week investigation, Mac was able to obtain crucial information from our government regarding the specifics of Gulf shrimp testing. Particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, it is common for shrimp to be prepared and even served whole, with the shell and digestive tract intact. When Mac learned that the Gulf shrimp testing performed to date had not included an analysis of whole shrimp with intact shells or digestive tract, she decided to mobilize. She obtained two pounds of locally caught shrimp from Venice, a small town located in the heart of Southern Louisiana. The samples were promptly transported on ice to a laboratory in Mobile Alabama, where Chemist Dr. Robert Namen tested the digestive tracts of the shrimp for components of crude oil. What they found was an alarming 193 parts per million of "Oil & Grease."
Mac informed FOSC Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft of these results during a public November 3rd conference call. The conversation went as follows:
Nancy MacKenzie: "Hi, Admiral. Thanks for taking my call. Just out of curiosity, I recently bought a couple of pounds of shrimp in Venice and had the veins tested."
Paul Zukunft: "Yes"
Nancy MacKanzie: "And they came back with 193 parts per million of oil. And I was wondering if you could comment on that."
Paul Zukunft: "OK. Yes, no I'm not aware of that particular test. I've been to the lab in Pascagoula where they actually do the sensory and chemical tests over there. And then when I've seen the shrimp that's been tested, it is deveined. So you know, the shrimp has been deveined and deshelled when they do the analysis. So all I can comment are the protocols that we're using and the fact that we're not finding any concentration of PAH in those tests. So that's new information and I'll have our environmental unit follow upon that."
Nancy MacKenzie: "Yes, Please do. Because a lot of people down here cook in shell and cook with veins in. So..."
Paul Zukunft: "Fully aware of that."
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