Following a toxic oil spill that has devastated marine life along Israel's coastal shores, the Health Ministry Wednesday moved to ban the sale of seafood from the Mediterranean Sea.
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The measure takes effect immediately and covers fish and other marine life sold for consumption, according to a ministry statement.
The decree was made "in light of the environmental pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, which has been expressed, among other ways, in the amounts of tar found on the Mediterranean beaches in recent days," the statement said.
The move is a precautionary measure, with data still being collected by the Agriculture Ministry to determine if the spill poses a danger to consumers.
The Environmental Protection Ministry announced significant damage had been caused to Israel's shoreline, with some 30-40% of rocky areas, impacted by the spill. Among the beaches affected were those in Haifa, the Carmel, Achziv, Moshav Betzet, and Rosh Hanikra, all in Israel's north.
Citing concerns water-soluble materials will sink to the seafloor, harming smaller organisms, fish, and marine invertebrates, Professor Noga Kronfeld-Schor, chief scientist at the Environmental Protection Ministry, said, "There may be an accumulation of pollutants in the food chain, and we will soon begin to research and analyze the implications in a national monitoring program."
Of major concern is the upcoming spring bird migration that will see around 500 million birds pass through Israel on their way to Europe and Asia from Africa. The birds could be exposed to pollution, whether through direct contact with the tar or the consumption of local wildlife.
The Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Center took samples from the Mediterranean, Wednesday, in a joint effort with the Health Ministry to ensure Israel's beaches reopen in a safe and timely manner. Ministry officials are collaborating with American scientists who took part in researching the 2020 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to this end.
So far, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority estimates around 70 tons of tar and waste have been collected from Israel's beaches. The majority of the remaining tar is located on rocky beaches, where the cleanup process is more complicated. A majority of sandy beaches, however, are now relatively clean, with just small coin-sized clumps of the pollutant remaining.
Jerusalem on Tuesday approved the allocation of 45 million shekels ($13.7 million) toward a plan to clean up the country's shoreline following the massive spill. The party or parties responsible for the ecological disaster remains unknown.
Authorities have also urged members of the public to avoid beaches on Israel's Mediterranean coast due to the pollution. In a joint notice to the public, the Health, Interior, and Environmental Protection Ministries noted "exposure to tar could harm public health" and called on the public "not to go [to beaches] to swim or engage in sports or leisure activities until further notice."
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