More than a year after the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, oysters are still in short supply and more expensive.
The Washington Post reports that the Gulf oyster production is at its lowest level in ten years after much of the crop was killed off in the waters off Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Top products from Impact Absorbents such as the XSORB Oil Select Bilge Boom can help clean up spills on waterways.
Production is also suffering due to an invasion of freshwater into the Gulf from the Mississippi River from floods earlier this year. Oysters thrive on salty water.
With production down, oyster prices are up approximately 10 percent over last year, with the cost of shucked oyster meat running about $10 a pint.
Avery Bates, vice president of the Organized Seafood Association of Alabama, told the news agency that the biggest challenge the industry is facing right now is its reputation.
“I’ve never seen any storm hit us like BP did,” Bates added. “It got our reputation. People lost their clientele and closed. BP hurt our reputation so bad.”
The BP oil spill is blamed for cutting Gulf oyster production by 50 percent during the past year.
