Smell Test Determines If Seafood Is Safe

Alabama state waters could reopen for fishing within days, but scientists are relying on taste and smell to determine whether the seafood is safe to eat.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirms there is no chemical test to show whether fish has been contaminated by corexit, the dispersant being used in the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.

According to a spokesperson for the NOAA Fisheries Service, sixteen "sensory experts" are conducting sensory tests, smelling and tasting raw and cooked seafood from the Gulf.

"I would love to say I'd eat crab, oyster and shrimp out of the Mississippi Sound," said Chip Deupree, a fishing guide out of Dauphin Island. But, Deupree, who makes a living off of his boat, admits he's concerned about what he'll reel in. "I do have a question of whether or not that corexit has done anything to that fish. If someone could tell us that, I'd be the first one to go over there and try it," he said.

Gary Skinner, who owns a local retail seafood shop, insists he'd eat the fish, but admits some of his customers may be worried. "It's going to take a while to get the confidence back," said Skinner.

Some local restaurants are worried too. Stan Alford, owner of Common Loon in Dauphin Island, is currently serving frozen Gulf shrimp caught before the oil began gushing into the Gulf. Alford says he will wait a year before he buys any shrimp caught after the disaster.

A NOAA spokesperson told News Five, the government agency is in the process of developing a chemical test and insists the sensory tests being conducted in the meantime are effective.