"Fish caught in a wide area of the gulf near Florida are safe to eat, said federal officials Thursday as they allowed commercial and recreational fishing boats back into part of the Gulf of Mexico that had been off-limits due to the massive BP oil spill.

Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, announced the reopening of a third of the overall closed area Thursday night after consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and under a re-opening protocol agreed by NOAA, the FDA, and the gulf states."

Environment News Service had the story July 23, 2010. [2]