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And, finally, a footnote for those of you who wondered about the wisdom of conducting sensitive sniff tests within breathing distance of a waste treatment plant.
When I asked NOAA’s Steven Wilson whether the, shall we say pungent, odor from the plant might not interfere with the experts’ razor sharp sense of smell, he said that wasn’t a concern.
“Believe it or not, our assessors can filter that out,” he said.
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There's no way in hell I'll eat a bite of fish based purely on some "smell test". If the fish have even the remotest chance of having fed in the oil/chemical bath of the Gulf, I'm passing.
I don't rmember them saying it would be purely based on smell.
Then you shouldn't be eating anything caught in the Gulf for some time to come. A tuna snacking on baitfish at the oilspill site at 6am could be just off-shore in no time flat.
I am pretty sure that more tests than smell are done. I find the fact that they are being called "fish sniffers" ridiculous. It is making them seem like they poorly trained, because I am sure they aren't. I wouldn't hurt gulf economy by boycotting seafood until you have researched ALL of what is done to make sure your seafood and all the food that comes to your table safe.
Yes smell tells you a lot, but not everything and not the amount.
Can they smell a medicine just recoiled because unsafe and tell if its compounds are more dangerous than beneficial. I assume not. Who knows how chemicals are inglobated in the organic matter of the fish. Maybe the toxic part get methabolized and loose any smell, but still is a toxin.
I would be glad if the government and private business will be more transparent and let the consumer know where the fish is coming from (and this is for any food coming from everywhere). Then if someone wants to take the risk he/she is free to do it and buy the fish coming from the Gulf of Mexico or surrounding areas (fish moves, do not stay in the same place).
And this is not to hurt the Gulf Economy, it is colled common sense. Hope they stop the spill ASAP, it is disgusting morally and environmentally.
For now I will only eat fish that I'm sure does not live in the warm water of the gulf of Mexico.
Even admitting that here in USA food safety regulation and controls are so loose that this does not make any other food any safer. It is always a matter of luck or in scientific terms "statistic".
Sure they can...I bet they can...Riiight.
This sounds just as ridiculous as it did the first time I read it sixteen months ago. Yet now it is all just oil under the carpet. Short-term Attention Span Theatre Lives!