More Gulf of Mexico federal waters closed to fishing

The area of the Gulf of Mexico closed to fishing because of the ongoing oil spill has been expanded again to cover a larger area.

NOAA originally closed about 3 percent of Gulf of Mexico federal waters to all fishing on April the 30th. The closed area reached from east of the Mississippi River to just west of Pensacola Bay and represented about 3 percent of the Gulf of Mexico federal waters.

As of Tuesday the closed area was extended and now represents about 7 percent Gulf of Mexico federal waters. The closed area includes federal waters seaward of Louisiana state waters in the vicinity of Timbalier Island to waters off Florida’s Choctawhatchee Bay.

NOAA says it is improving the closure process to cut down on the red tape necessary to modify the boundaries of the closure area. And beginning this week, area boundaries could be modified daily, based on where and how fast the oil spill is moving.

In the meantime, NOAA strongly advises fishermen not to fish in areas where oil or oil sheens are present, even if they are outside the closed area.


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