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Spill in Houston Ship Channel closes oyster beds, sparks seafood advisory

The state of Texas ordered Galveston Bay oyster beds closed and advised people against eating seafood from the upper bay — both as a precaution — and an environmental group reported a large fish kill.

HOUSTON — As crews began another day of cleanup after a collision late Friday led to more than 9,000 barrels of chemicals spilling into the Houston Ship Channel, representatives for several organizations along Galveston Bay said they were already starting to see the effects on marine life.

The state of Texas ordered Galveston Bay oyster beds closed and advised people against eating seafood from the upper bay — both as a precaution — and an environmental group reported a large fish kill.

The 755-foot tanker Genesis River collided with two barges being pulled by a tugboat, causing one barge to capsize and piercing another, which then began leaking a feedstock blend called Reformate similar to automobile gasoline, said Greg Beuerman, an assistant public information officer for Kirby Inland Marine, which owns the barges.

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