Oyster prices remain higher than usual in Gainesville this holiday season but might decrease in the near future, sellers say.
Gainesville seafood providers Lee Deaderick, co-owner of Northwest Seafood, and Vinod Bajaj, owner of Calico Jack’s Oyster Bar and Seafood House, said they have seen an increase in supplies, and they both predicted a decrease in oyster prices.
David Barber, oyster supplier to Northwest Seafood and owner of Barber’s Seafood, said the BP oil spill caused the price of his oysters to increase 31 percent from $16 a bushel — which is between 200 and 240 oysters — to $21 a bushel, but now his prices have dropped to $18 a bushel, which is similar to oyster prices this time last year.
Barber said the supply is good, and he predicted oyster prices will remain the same for the remainder of the season. He said prices might increase again in the summer when some state-owned oyster beds, such as those in Texas, are closed and the supply relies on privately owned oyster beds.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Gainesville Sun (Gainesville, FL).
