Associated Press
AP
MIAMI —
More federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida Panhandle are open to commercial and recreational fishing.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Friday that the 3,114-square mile area had a low risk for future exposure to oil.
Tuna, swordfish, mahi mahi and other fish caught in these waters showed no sign of contamination. NOAA will continue to monitor seafood in the area.
About 39,885 square miles of federal waters in the Gulf remain closed. That area extends from the Louisiana coastline southeast into the open Gulf.
Roughly 88,000 square miles of federal waters off Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida were closed after the April 20 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon killed 11 workers.
