Mysterious bacterial infections that weakened some Louisiana crabs, causing more to die before reaching their markets than usual, appear to have subsided as scientists predicted.
But fishermen, processors and distributors still have plenty to crab about, as prices and landings remain low, and the market for Louisiana crabs — along with other Gulf of Mexico seafood — stays slack due to nationwide concerns about safety following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
“The commercial industry overall has had a rough two years,” said Olivia Watkins, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “High river this year and last, plus the BP oil spill. There’s not a single definitive cause we can point to at this moment for why some of this year’s numbers are lower than average, but we will look at things outside of the pure scientific scope as we examine these landings.”
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