STILL REELING ‘EM IN

Louisiana remains one of the best sport fishing destinations in the country

Louisiana remains one of the best sport fishing destinations in the country

Under the leadership of Governor Charlie Crist, the State Emergency Response Team and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are actively coordinating and responding to the Deepwater Horizon incident.

NOAA has opened more than 8,000 square miles of previously closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico, because the agency has not observed oil in the area. The most significant opening is an area due south of Mississippi which was closed Monday, June 21.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has suspended daily production of offshore Transocean/BP oil spill trajectory maps because a change in ocean currents has minimized impact risks to the Florida Keys and most of the Florida peninsula.

NOAA has expanded the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico to include areas where the oil slick is moving beyond the current boundaries off of the Florida panhandle and due south of Mississippi.

On waterways across the country, boating season begins this week. To help boaters and anglers brush up on their boating safety, the BoatUS Foundation has these six tips:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are taking additional steps to enhance inspection measures designed to ensure that seafood from the Gulf of Mexico reaching America’s tables is safe to eat.

The FWC is taking precautionary actions regarding harvest and consumption of these marine species, which may be affected by oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

NOAA has opened 339 square miles of previously closed fishing area off the Florida panhandle – the northern boundary now ends at the Florida federal-state water line on the east side of Choctawhatchee Bay.

Current revisions to the closure, described below, will be effective on June 2, 2010 at 6 p.m. eastern time (5 p.m. central time)