Winds pushing Gulf slick east, NOAA says

WASHINGTON, June 14 (UPI) -- Onshore winds have pushed the oil slick from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico toward the Florida coast, atmospheric scientists said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said onshore winds have pushed the giant slick toward barrier islands near Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle. The agency said coastal areas west of the Mississippi Sound might witness oil on the shore.

Meanwhile, NOAA said it wasn't adjusting the area of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico closed to commercial and recreational fishing. NOAA said the closure represents about 32 percent of the federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

"The majority of federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico are open to commercial and recreational fishing," NOAA adds.

British energy company BP continues to capture some of the oil and natural gas spilling into the water. The company lowered a so-called lower marine riser cap over the leaking riser in early June.

BP said it captured 7,720 barrels of oil from midnight to noon Sunday using the cap. Nearly 17 million cubic of natural gas was flared during the latest reporting period.

The company said it plans to make enhancements to the cap system "in the next few days."

A series of relief wells that could stop the leak are expected to enter service in August.