Unlike Louisiana, Mississippi oyters are making a comeback - for a price
SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Sun Herald] By Paul Hampton - August 13, 2014
The Mississippi oyster industry is bouncing back from a triple whammy: Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil disaster and the Mississippi River flood and is still a long way from its peak 10 years ago.
Just over 78,000 sacks of oysters were harvested in the reporting year that ended June 30, according to statistics from the Department of Marine Resources.
That's a steady improvement from 2012, when just 65 sacks were harvested. That was the year following the flood, when the Bonnet Carre Spillway was opened to relieve pressure on levees in Louisiana.
Sean Desporte of Desporte Seafood said it is federal refrigeration regulations, not scarcity, that's keeping the prices of oysters high.
Oysters caught from May to October for sale out of state or to be eaten raw must be refrigerated within an hour of being caught, according to the rules that went into effect four years ago. The year before, Desporte said, 30 pounds of oysters sold for $20. Today, the price is $39.50.
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