"gulf seafood" news and stories

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the BP oil spill, and caps a very tough year for Gulf fishermen. Many are still struggling to stay in business while being dogged by lingering consumer doubt over the safety of the very seafood they're harvesting.

Images of dead dolphins and sea turtles that washed ashore earlier this month fueled concerns over just where the estimate 200 million gallons of crude oil and 1.8 million gallons of dispersants ended up. In the meantime, plenty of Gulf residents continue to harbor anger over the spill. At BP's annual meeting last week, protesters, including Gulf fishermen, rallied to be heard.

Bryon Encalade, president of the Louisiana Oystermen Association, told The Guardian, "We've not been made whole: our fishing grounds have been depleted, our oysters are dead and we're not receiving the funds we need to support and sustain ourselves. We're seeing money going everywhere but at ground zero."

And, one year later, long-term effects of the oil spill are still unclear.

Gulf seafood is still suffering from a lingering black eye. So much so, that earlier this month, 30 members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama urging him to disclose more information on the federal government's seafood safety work.

"Louisiana is suffering from a serious perception problem regarding its seafood, despite the fact that the fish we harvest is consistently being proven to be safe by several federal and state testing agencies," said Ewell Smith, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board.

As recently as December, the seafood board's survey found that 71 percent of consumers still indicated a level of concern about the safety of consuming Gulf seafood.

In their letter to the President, congressional members write: "This lack of public confidence results not from a shortage of government data, but from an ineffectiveness in reporting this complex information to the American public."

"Seafood coming out of the Gulf of Mexico is one of the most tested food products in the world, and the results consistently prove that Gulf seafood is entirely safe to eat," Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana told Slashfood.

Politicians aren't the only ones beating that drum.

Last week the New Orleans Saints were dishing up classic Big Easy dishes in the White House kitchen to promote Gulf seafood and its safety. Today at 2:00 p.m., the Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, will host a live web chat to answer more questions about the seafood from the Gulf of Mexico.

"There's no doubt that the men and women of the Gulf who make their livelihood harvesting fish, shrimp, and oysters have been among those hardest hit by this spill. Enjoying some local seafood is one simple way Americans can support the people of the Gulf who have been battered by this spill."

Do you have a question for her? You can submit your questions ahead of time via Facebook or the White House webform.

Tune in this afternoon at 2 p.m. to WhiteHouse.gov/live to watch the live feed.

Related: New Orleans Saints Visit the White House Kitchen [VIDEO]

Read all of Slashfood's Gulf seafood coverage.

The New Orleans Saints visited the White House earlier this week for a special ceremony honoring the Super Bowl champs. And the big guys didn't come empty handed -- they brought Gulf seafood, recipes and serious cooking skills. "While they're here today, several Saints players are going to spend some time teaching our staff their favorite Gulf seafood recipes," said President Obama. "So ... who's cooking?"

The White House put together a video featuring several members of the team cooking in the kitchen with White House chef Sam Kass. Tackle Zach Strief, Defensive End Bobby McCray, Center Nick Lecky and Kicker Garrett Harley rolled up the sleeves on their three-piece suits and showed the staff how to prepare a recipe from Streif's cookbook, When You're the Biggest Guy on the Team -- andouille sausage and Gulf shrimp marinated in Creole mustard, bourbon, honey and a little Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce.

"Put this in some French bread and you've got yourself a good po' boy," says Bobby McCray. Strief adds, "They've done a ton of testing [on the shrimp] and it's all been cleared. It's the best in the country."

Later they surprised Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, journalists and visitors in the White House briefing room with portions of the dish -- an edible tribute to New Orleans.

After the jump, an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of the Saints cooking with Sam Kass in the White House kitchen.

Located off Southeastern Louisiana, Barataria Bay is home to some of the most biologically diverse and productive waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Beginning in late May, state authorities began to close off specific areas to recreational and commercial fishing due to the appearance of oil as reported by shrimpers. Then on July 27th , a passing dredge barge pulled by the Pere Ana C. tugboat collided with an abandoned wellhead causing a geyser of oil to burst over the waters. Capped on August 1st, the oil well was eventually controlled, but the damage to Barataria Bay was done, and blue crab, one of the Gulf's most vital seafood harvests, is feeling the effects.

"Blue crabs are one of the most important components in the Gulf's food chain," Vince Guillory, a biologist manager of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, told Slashfood. Over the past few weeks reports from researchers testing seafood in the Barataria area have shown these abundant crustaceans' larvae to exhibit characteristic orange specks caused by oil. Biologist Harriet Perry of the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory has been studying the samples and told the Associated Press, "In my 42 years of studying crabs I've never seen this."