Skip to main content
Part of complete coverage on

Mississippi oysters safe to eat, experts say

By the CNN Wire Staff
State and federal officials say that Mississippi oysters are safe to eat.
State and federal officials say that Mississippi oysters are safe to eat.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • The state's oyster season reopens in September or October
  • State experts team up with federal officials to conduct tests
RELATED TOPICS

(CNN) -- Federal and state experts have declared Mississippi oysters safe to eat after the oil spill that gushed for months in the Gulf of Mexico.

The state's oyster season is closed during the summer and reopens in September or October.

"Like all the seafood samples collected and tested from Mississippi territorial waters since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, our Mississippi oyster tissue samples have undergone rigorous testing, and have been proven to be well below levels of concern for hydrocarbons," said Dale Diaz, fisheries director for the state Department of Marine Resources.

The agency conducted the tests with the state Department of Environmental Quality, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The report was released Wednesday.

The spill started after a Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers.

Oil disaster: Tracking the numbers
Part of complete coverage on
Impact Your World: How to help
A number of organizations are recruiting volunteers to help clean up coastal areas
Depths of the disaster
Get the numbers, see the images and learn how the worst U.S. oil spill has changed lives, ruined economies and more.
iReport: Gulf journals
These stories help us look into the lives of the hardworking people of the Gulf as they watch this disaster take its toll.
Send your photos, videos
Is your area being affected by the spill? Help CNN track the oil slick and its effects on Gulf Coast communities and wildlife
Map: What's been hit
Interactive map locates oil sightings and stories
Daily developments
How big is the slick? What's being affected? What's being done?
Timeline
Track the major developments of the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico
Berms, booms, blowouts: Glossary
Breaking down the jargon of the disaster