News - National
Trained noses to sniff out Gulf seafood for oil
Posted: Jun 7, 2010 7:24 AM by Bea Karnes, News First 5
Updated: Jun 7, 2010 7:24 AM
Some seafood inspectors working along the Gulf of Mexico are picking up a new skill to keep oil-tainted seafood from consumers. They're being trained to use their noses to sniff out offending odors.
It's a daunting task to look over all the catch pulled in by thousands of fisherman across the four-state region. The first line of defense began with closing a third of federal waters and hundreds more square-miles of state waters to fishing.
Now comes the nose, along with conventional lab tests. Federal official Brian Gorman says a trained nose is a highly efficient tool that has been used for centuries making wine, butter and cheese.
Gulf fishermen and seafood buyers say they can't sell a tainted product and it will be impossible for it to reach the market.
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