AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ Texas oystermen are concerned the BP oil spill will focus more harvesting on oyster beds in Texas coastal waters that have only begun to recover from Hurricane Ike in 2008.
The beds had just begun to recover from Hurricane Ike, which deposited enough sediment on the Texas coastal beds to kill half of the 16,000 acres of public oyster reefs. State figures show that, along with changes in salinity from a recent drought, cut the $60 million industry to $27 million.
Texas and Louisiana usually both have summer seasons. However, the oil spill about 50 miles off extreme southeastern Louisiana closed many of the oyster beds there, dramatically increasing oystering on Texas beds.
The Austin American-Statesman reports some oyster distributors believe that’ll leave few oysters when the Texas coastal waters reopen to oystering this fall.