San Francisco Bay Reopens to Fishing

San Francisco Bay reopened to fishing and crabbing Friday as California officials announced that tests show seafood caught there is safe to eat.

Some shellfish appeared to be unsafe, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Officials cited mussels from two areas in Marin County and said Drakes Bay Oyster Co. in Inverness is still banned from harvesting its catch.

The bay had been closed to fishing since a Chinese container ship collided Nov. 7 with a pier of the Bay Bridge, spilling 58,000 gallons of bunker fuel. The ban also affected a stretch of coast from Point Reyes north of the Golden Gate to San Pedro Point to the south.

The state ordered tests on a variety of species — including Dungeness and Rock crab, herring, shiner, black surfperch and mussels — for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbons, a component of bunker fuel, are suspected carcinogens.

State officials warned anglers to avoid areas with visible oil contamination and not to eat fish that looks or smells oily.