Crisis on the half-shell

The Herald Tribune posted a great article on the effects of the oil spill has had on New Orleans' restaurant and oyster industry. How much more punishment can the city of New Orleans take?

"Though oysters are grown from the Long Island Sound to California's Humboldt Bay, industry officials estimate that 60 to 70 percent of the oysters eaten in the U.S. come from the Gulf. The Gulf oysters grow in submerged beds from Texas to Florida, with Louisiana accounting for more than half of the supply.

But Louisiana's oyster industry has been brought to a standstill since oil began gushing into the Gulf in April. Oyster beds have been closed -- mostly as a precaution -- and fishermen have been put on oil spill duty.
At stake is more than just a meal."

Read the rest of the article at The Herald Tribune.