"First and foremost, we’re going to continue to monitor and remove any oil that reaches the surface, and clean up any oil that hits the shore. Now, as a result of the massive cleanup operation that has already taken place, a recent report by our top scientists found that the majority of oil has now evaporated or dispersed, or it’s been burned, skimmed, or recovered from the wellhead.
And the dispersed oil is in the process of degrading. But I won’t be satisfied until the environment has been restored, no matter how long it takes."
"Second, we’re going to continue testing fisheries, and we’ll be reopening more areas for fishing as tests show that the waters are safe. Already, more than 26,000 square miles were reopened at the end of July, and another 5,000 were reopened earlier this week. I know that this takes time, and it has been incredibly hard on people who earn their living on the water. Carolyn’s boats, for example, have had to find different areas to fish that are further away and require more fuel. But their livelihoods - not to mention the health of people across the country - depends on making sure that folks can trust that the seafood coming from the Gulf is as safe as it’s always been."
http://obama-mamas.com/blog/?p=1842