BBC - Lousiana Oyster Beds Still Failing; Not Oil & Toxins; Freshwater Releases Killed Shellfish

[hatrack]

EDIT

We were less than 100 miles (160 km) from the wreck of the Deepwater Horizon but everything looked pristine under a blazing sun. And the oysters! As big as the palm of my hand, succulent and briny. It was still early and so, for the first time in my life, I had oysters for breakfast. But the atmosphere aboard the boat was sombre.

The oysters were good but hardly plentiful. At this, the season of peak demand, far too many were simply dead. Not, as you might think, coated in sticky oil or even poisoned by chemical dispersants but killed off, as luck would have it, by fresh water.

Millions of gallons from the Mississippi River were hurriedly diverted into the bays and marshes of the delta to keep the oil from rolling in, earlier in the year - but this upset the delicate balance of fresh and salty conditions the oysters need to survive.

Nick Collins is a fourth generation oyster-man, with a rich gumbo of an accent to match. His business had only just recovered from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, five years ago, and Nick was looking forward to a bumper year.

EDIT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9254859.stm