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. The flood of fresh water ended up in the Sound where it killed a lot of oysters.
The previous reporting year showed the effects of the BP oil that gushed into the Gulf. The harvest was 43,722 sacks, down from 305,722 the year before.
Sean Desporte of Desporte Seafood said it is federal refrigeration regulations, not scarcity, that's keeping the prices of oysters high on the Coast.
Read the full story at The Sun Herald