Scott Breneman, owner of West Caught Fish, slices fish for a customer at a market in Newport Beach Wednesday, Oct. 27. He said business has plummeted due to consumer concerns about the spill’s impact on local fish even though he fishes 90 miles off the coast. Breneman said he hopes that when the state completes its safety studies and reopens fishing along the coast business will rebound. AP photo/Amy Taxin photo
Amy TaxinThe Associated PressFour weeks after an oil spill washed blobs of crude onto Southern California’s coast, surfers have returned to the waves and people play in the surf.But fishermen can’t drop lines in the same waters yet.California prohibited fishing in an area that ranges about 6-12 miles off the shores of Orange County since an undersea pipeline leaked at least about 25,000 gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean.State environmental health experts are conducting studies to determine whether shellfish and fish are safe for human consumption – a process expected to take weeks or longer.Scott Breneman, owner of West Caught Fish, said he still fishes for tuna and black cod well beyond the prohibited area. He said he’s been able to keep selling
