More fresh shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico is ready to be served in kitchens across the country, according to a federal agency that has opened thousands of square miles of water it deems free of contaminants from last year’s oil spill.
“We are trying to get the message out. It’s easy to damage consumer confidence, and it’s hard to rebuild that,” said Christine Patrick, a spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which opened up 4,123 square miles of federal water for the harvesting of one particular type of shrimp, Royal Red.
Gulf shrimpers say the reopening won’t make much of a splash in their sales, with Royal Red accounting for less than 2 percent of all shrimp caught in the region. A much bigger concern for many shrimpers is the possible longer-term contamination of shrimp and fish populations.
Safe shrimp today doesn’t necessarily mean safe shrimp tomorrow, many believe.
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