The U.S. oysters industry is teetering on the edge of a bad year. The Center for Science in the Public Interest is calling for a ban on untreated Gulf oysters. And with much of New England shut down to harvesting due to red tide, harvesters everywhere are holding their breath.
For now, though, production is down across the board, resulting in steady prices. However, despite supplies dropping off, oysters are still available, partially due to lessened demand as a result of a depressed market hit by the recession.
"Demand is down, I would say overall because it's been challenged by the economy," said one Louisiana supplier. "Because of the shortage in the Gulf, we've been able to maintain pricing. If we could offer a less expensive product, [sales would increase], but that won't happen until oysters come back in quantity."
Now the good news: The top oyster-harvesting states are continuing to rebound after the 2005 and 2008 hurricane seasons.
Louisiana, which produces 50 percent (about 250 million pounds in-shell) of the total Gulf Coast oyster harvest, is rebounding after Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike and Gustov and early summer flooding in 2008.
Texas' Galveston Bay has been down for a couple of years in terms of production, but should also be rebounding in a year or two, according to the supplier.
Mississippi, which reopened for the first time in 2008 since Hurricane Katrina, should have a season this year, while Alabama may not due to low production.
New management plans put in place for oysters due to concerns over bacterial contamination have also affected supply, causing harvesters to refrigerate product more quickly. And those restrictions are scheduled to become even tighter in 2010, so most suppliers will probably do their harvesting before then, according to one Gulf Coast supplier.
Total domestic oyster landings rose in 2007 to 35.1 million pounds (meat weight), up from 34.4 million pounds in 2006 but down from the five-year average of 35.7 million pounds.
July 26, 2009
