California oil spill: Surfing, swimming OK but fishing out

Four weeks after an oil spill off Southern California’s coast, surfers have been allowed to return to the waves and people can play in the surf

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Four 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 still can't drop lines in the same waters.

California has prohibited fishing in an area that ranges about 6 to 12 miles (9.7 to 19.3 kilometers) off the shores of Orange County since an undersea pipeline leaked at least about 25,000 gallons (94,635 liters) 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.