COMMERCE SECRETARY ANNOUNCES $128 MILLION COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT TO ASSIST GULF STATES RECOVER AND MONITOR FISHERIES
Gulf Seafood Safe to Eat as One-year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina Approaches

August 25, 2006 — During a visit to New Orleans today, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez announced the award of $128 million for the five Gulf Coast States to respond to the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Specifically, these funds will be used by the states to assist in the restoration of oyster beds and shrimp grounds rehabilitation, as well as monitoring the recovery of the Gulf fisheries. (Click NOAA image for larger view of shrimp boat stranded on land in Bayou La Batre, Ala., by Hurricane Katrina, one of many vessels lifted by the storm surge and deposited on land. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

These funds are part of a cooperative agreement awarded by the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission.

"I want to thank Senators Thad Cochran and Richard Shelby for their leadership to secure these funds to help in the recovery of Gulf fisheries," said Secretary Gutierrez. "Commercial oyster and shrimp operations in the Gulf of Mexico are vital economic components in the region, and I am pleased NOAA is able to play a significant role in their recovery."

Secretary Gutierrez made the announcement at Galatoire's Restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans as he challenged investors from all over the country and world to come and invest in the region stressing that New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are open for business."

Since the devastating impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the NOAA Fisheries Service has worked closely with its Gulf Coast partners to help ensure the recovery and restoration of affected fisheries. Through this award, NOAA and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission will coordinate activities with the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

These states have committed to plans to restore oyster beds and shrimp grounds, and monitor the recovery of Gulf fisheries. The $128 million will be utilized as follows: $51 million will be allocated for oyster restoration, $38 million on oyster bed and shrimp ground rehabilitation, and $38 million directed toward cooperative research and monitoring activities. A partial list of projects by state include:

• Mississippi - Oyster reef restoration, enhancement and monitoring; shrimp and blue crab habitat restoration, enhancement and monitoring; and artificial reef restoration ($38 million)
• Alabama - habitat mapping, oyster grounds restoration, oyster, shrimp and fish nursery restoration, and cooperative research ($30 million)
• Louisiana - reseeding and restoration of oyster grounds, rehabilitating oyster bed and shrimp grounds, debris removal, cooperative research to monitor recovery
  ($53 million)
• Texas - habitat mapping, restoration and debris removal ($3 million)
• Florida - oyster reef habitat restoration; develop scientific protocol for assessing resource damage and recovery ($4 million)

GULF SEAFOOD SAFE TO EAT AS ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HURRICANE KATRINA APPROACHES

U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez declared today that gulf seafood continues to show no signs of elevated contaminants as the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches.

The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has concluded its series of post-Katrina testing of Gulf seafood, water and sediment. The fourth and final monitoring report, issued this week, shows that traces of chemical contaminants in samples of white shrimp, although low and below public advisory levels, spiked slightly after the hurricane but have since declined to pre-hurricane levels. The spike was due to oil in the water and persistent organic compounds due to runoff, but those spikes were well below FDA's concern level for human consumption.

"NOAA's latest survey of possible seafood contamination in the Gulf of Mexico once again shows that Gulf seafood is safe to eat," said Gutierrez. "That's great news for the Gulf Coast fishing industry, which represents one-fifth of our nation's commercial fishery production, and for all of us who enjoy seafood."

Beginning two weeks after Katrina made landfall, NOAA has periodically collected and analyzed Gulf seafood, water and sediment for signs of bacteria and contaminants. The samples have consistently found no threat to human health. In December 2005, the U.S. government issued a multi-agency announcement declaring Gulf seafood safe to eat after extensive sampling and testing by the EPA, FDA, NOAA and the states found no cause for concern. NOAA has continued to monitor Gulf seafood for potential bio-accumulation of chemicals that were introduced into the Gulf of Mexico when flood waters were pumped from the streets of New Orleans.

NOAA has received supplemental funding to continue monitoring post-hurricane environmental conditions in the Gulf of Mexico and will report additional findings as warranted.

In 2007 NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, celebrates 200 years of science and service to the nation. Starting with the establishment of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. The agency is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Hurricane Katrina Environmental Impacts

NOAA Fisheries Service

Media Contact:
Susan Buchanan, NOAA Fisheries Service, (301) 713-2370