BP (NYSE:BP): More Fishing Waters Opened in Gulf

Now that NOAA reopened another 7,000 square miles of Gulf of Mexico fishing waters, 96 percent of all waters are opened to be fished in, with only the immediate area around the formerly leaking Macondo oil well, which accounts for the 4 percent of the waters still closed, remaining off limits to fisherman.

The newly reopened waters are about 60 miles east of the Macondo well location.

Exhaustive testing of 155 finfish in the area, including chemical analysis and smell tests, found no taint of oil or oil dispersants.

Fish are resilient, and if they ever did contact oil, they are able to process it within a two-day period, according to scientists at NOAA and FDA.

Other testing continuing to be done is in processing plants around the Gulf coast region and shallow-water areas around docks.