Fishing can continue along the Orange County coast Tuesday evening, after the California Department of Fish Wildlife determined it is safe to eat seafood taken from the waters after an oil spill in early October.
An assessed 25,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into the sea from a cracked pipeline off the shoreline of Huntington Beach. Tacky dark rough washed shorewards along sea shores across Southern California, and the Orange County coastline was shut to recreational and commercial activities, including surfing, swimming and fishing.
The return of fishing is an alleviation for some, including Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, whose locale incorporates the seaside urban areas of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach.
“This oil spill immediately put a halt to the operations of many small businesses in our community whose livelihoods depend on the ability to fish off our Southern California coast,” Foley said in a statement. “The business owners I have had the privilege to hear from in the last few months are resilient, and my hope is that overcoming this final hurdle will finally help them get back on their feet.”