The sampling and testing were conducted by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

MDMR fisheries director Dale Diaz says the oyster tissue samples are well below levels of concern for hydrocarbons.

The state's oyster season was closed during the summer months, and is expected to open in September and October.

Dr. John Stein of NOAA's Seafood Safety Program says testing of oysters in federal waters show the levels of contaminants detected are 100 to 1,000 times lower than the threshold set for what is potentially harmful to humans.