Mont.: Yellowstone fish safe, but some oil found
Fish exposed to an Exxon Mobil Corp. oil spill into the Yellowstone River are safe to eat despite some crude found in their internal organs, Montana wildlife officials said Thursday.
No oil was found in fillets cut from 58 fish taken from the river for laboratory testing in mid-July, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Small amounts of oil were detected in the livers and gonads of some of the fish.
Agency spokesman Robert Gibson says the contamination potentially could harm the health of the fish but not people who catch and eat them.
“We know there wasn’t anything that would be dangerous for people,” Gibson said. “But in fatty organs, where toxins have a tendency to accumulate, that’s where we don’t know if (oil) will accumulate over time.”