(seafood.com) Anyone concerned
“Now it will be easier for people outside of
But environmentalists say doubt remains about the validity of state testing.
“The bottom line is, should we really have oil and gas products in our seafood?” said Anne Rolfes, director of the
The website, Gulfsource.org, allows users to scroll through samples or search by area, data or sample type. It was created to show that state testing has found no levels of oil in water, sediment or seafood that are a danger to human health, officials said. Test results for dispersants are also available.
Tests are conducted in waters across the state, taking 143 crabs, fish, shrimp and oysters and 96 sediment and water samples each month for testing. The testing is done by the state departments of Wildlife and Fisheries, Health and Hospitals, Environmental Quality and Agriculture and Forestry.
“Though we've been testing seafood, water and sediment since April 30, 2010, in response to the BP oil spill, the information has been difficult to widely distribute to the public,” said Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham. “We hope the public will utilize GulfSource.org to find out what the safety test results in seafood from areas they fish or from waters they consume reveal. Rebuilding our seafood brand starts with rebuilding consumer confidence in our product.”
Through the website's front page, you can scroll through a timeline of samples taken between May 16, 2010, and Friday.
Samples laid out on the website show:
A Google map of where they were taken and a list of oil-related chemicals officials tested for.
What was found in each sample.
What the “level of concern,” the level considered harmful to human health, is for each chemical.
You can also search the data by the time samples were taken, where they were taken, and by species and sample type. Those search results return a less user-friendly data table listing the date of samples, whether oil chemicals were above detectable limits and the location's coordinates. The data are available for download with the “export” buttons at the bottom of the page.
Rolfes said issues have been raised with the sensitivity of oil tests. There are also questions about whether the standard the government is using for determining whether chemicals pose a harm to human health is set too high.
Recent studies by scientists at LSU have shown that even if low levels of oil don't pose a harm to human health, even the tiniest amounts of oil can have serious impacts on fish.
Studying killifish, an abundant marsh fish, scientists found damage to gills and genetic changes that indicate future reproductive and developmental problems related to oil.
“Why are we saying it's OK, it's an acceptable level of oil and gas?' ” Rolfes said.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang City has fully implemented all recommendations from the European Commission (EC) regarding the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, creating an important foundation for the removal of the “yellow card” in the near future.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Hoa Vang district (Da Nang City), red tilapia farming is demonstrating clear economic efficiency, becoming a promising livelihood that helps many households increase their income. A notable example is the model of Mr. Huynh Ngoc Nam, who operates two red tilapia ponds covering more than 4 hectares, generating stable annual income.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Gia Vien district, tilapia farming—particularly the “duong nghiep” strain—is expanding rapidly and gradually becoming an efficient production model for local farmers. Hatcheries in the area are supplying high-quality, uniform, and disease-free fingerlings, meeting the growing demand for commercial farming.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
(vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Chile imported more than USD 156 million worth of tuna, up 8.1% compared to the previous year and the highest level in the past five years. As the supply structure in this market is rapidly shifting, Vietnamese tuna is facing both opportunities to expand market share and increasing competitive pressure from Thailand, Colombia, and China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vinh Long Province is stepping up efforts to develop brackish water shrimp farming in a sustainable direction, identifying it as a key sector in its agricultural structure. In 2026, the province aims to reach around 71,300 hectares of shrimp farming, with an output of over 314,000 tons.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ha Tinh Province is strengthening control over shrimp seed quality to minimize risks for the 2026 spring–summer farming season.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In February 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports reached USD 119 million, down slightly 5% year-on-year. However, thanks to strong performance in January, cumulative exports in the first two months of the year still reached USD 331 million, up 28% compared to the same period in 2025. Export activity slowed somewhat in February due to seasonal factors, particularly the Lunar New Year holiday, which disrupted production and shipments at many seafood processing enterprises.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang is accelerating the development of high-tech shrimp farming toward intensive production, disease control, and improved efficiency. Many shrimp farms have invested in automated environmental monitoring systems, continuously tracking indicators such as pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and salinity, enabling farmers to promptly adjust pond conditions and reduce disease risks.
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