CA Oil Spill: As Beaches Reopen, OC Fisheries Remained Closed

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — As Orange County’s beaches begin to re-open to the public after being closed for two weeks due to the massive oil spill, the news isn’t nearly as positive for local fisheries who likely will not be able to conduct business anytime in the near future.

State and federal officials that are overseeing the clean-up of the spill said Thursday that fisheries could be closed anywhere from the next 2-4 weeks. In that time, environmental officials will begin to inspect samples of fish and other life to determine how much damage has been done due to the spill, fish and wildlife officials said.

Fish and Wildlife Lt. Christian Corbo told reporters on Thursday that scientists will begin inspecting fish such as topsmelt and anchovies before they begin to work their way out to sea to inspect other species of fish.

The work begins as officials said that the spill isn't as huge as they once feared. Coast Guard officials said Thursday that their initial estimate of 25,000 gallons of spilled oil is expected to be close to accurate. Still, officials said earlier this week that a total of 77 birds were recovered, with 47 dying, the Oiled Wildlife Care Network reported Wednesday. Eleven dead fish and two dead mammals have also been recovered.

Read More: Is Orange County Oil Spill Smaller Than Originally Thought?

The California spill response team reported earlier this week that water sampling conducted does not present a health concern for short-term exposure to the water found in Orange County beaches. Laguna Beach was the latest beach to reopen to swimmers and surfers on Thursday as local officials deemed it safe for local residents to begin returning to the shoreline.

However, that’s not the case for fishing and harvesting activities, which the spill response team said Wednesday is being addressed by the Seafood Sampling and Analysis Plan. Fisheries around Orange County were closed on Oct. 3, which prohibits the catch and consumption of finfish and shellfish caught in the area where the spills took place.

As the closures continue affecting local residents who make their living from the Pacific, three Orange County congressional representatives will head a committee to determine the extent of the damage to local businesses due to the spill. Many local fisheries now remain in a holding pattern as their way of life continues to be hampered by the spill, the Orange County Register reported on Friday.

Read More: CA Oil Spill: Call To End Offshore OC Drilling, Waterfowl Release

Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine), Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) and Rep. Mike Levin (D-Dana Point) will head the committee. A hearing is expected to be held next week to discuss the impact businesses like fisheries are feeling since the spill.

The hearing will take place as Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Surfside) is joining the effort calling for the ending of off-shore drilling off the Southern California coast.

The Stopping Hazardous Incidents in the Pacific Act, or SHIP Act, would prohibit cargo ships from idling or anchoring within 24 nautical miles of the Southern California coast. Steel said she introduced the bill after learning that investigators suspect an anchor from a ship may have caused the Oct. 2 Orange County leak.

``Cargo ships idling for months off the Orange County coastline have become an environmental and public health crisis,'' Steel said in a statement. ``It's time to get the ports working again and get these ships moving and out of our waters. This crisis could have been prevented and it's important that we protect our waters and coastline.''

On Thursday, Steel announced she sent a letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Coast Guard requesting a review of the nautical charts near the oil pipelines to make sure shipping companies know where they are and can avoid an anchor damaging the pipelines, as investigators have theorized may have happened in Huntington Beach, City News Service reported.

Read More: Laguna Beach Calls For End To Offshore Drilling

Levin is also seeking to end offshore drilling, a measure he brought up in a Natural Resources Committee meeting on Thursday.

It is ``my great hope this drives us to change the policies that allow this sort of thing to happen so regularly'' and added that offshore drilling in California represents a ``drop in the bucket when compared to production nationwide,” Levin said Thursday.

Levin insists ``the only foolproof way to protect our coasts, oceans and the marine economy in California that relies on them is to end drilling off our Southern California coast once and for all.''

City News Service and Patch editor Jeff Arnold contributed to this report.

Read additional spill coverage:

• CA Oil Spill: Beaches Open, Wildlife Rehab, Oil Recedes
• CA Oil Spill: How To Help OC's Marine Wildlife After Disaster
• CA Oil Spill: Oiled Birds Die, SHIP Act, Fallout In Spill's Wake
• Oil Spill: Wildlife Impact Still Uncertain As Tar Balls Wash Up
• CA Oil Spill: 6 Days Later, Harbors Closed, Volunteers Wanted
• 1st Came Oil Spill, Next Come Lawsuits: Laguna Beach Couple Sues Amplify Over Damages
• Is Orange County Oil Spill Smaller Than Originally Thought?
• Dana Point Beaches Reopen, Harbor Remains Closed Amid Oil Spill
• Huntington Beach Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill
• Oil Spill Cleanup Underway, Laguna Beach Cautiously Optimistic
• Should Huntington Beach High School Change Its Mascot, 'Oil Man'?
• Orange County Oil Spill: Photos As Cleanup Ensues
• Orange County Oil Spill: Seal Beach Spared From Damage
• Orange County Beaches Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill
• Newport Beach Harbor Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill
• Orange County Oil Spill: Seal Beach Spared From Damage
• Orange County Beaches Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill