Louisiana may delay the start of the oyster season on most public seed grounds while scientists collect oysters and sediment to check for any damage from last year's BP PLC oil spill.
National Resource Damage Assessment teams will begin next week to look for information including how big, fat and thick on the waterbottoms the oysters are in various places, said Harry Blanchet, a biologist with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
He said that because it will be another month before the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission meets again, it authorized Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham on Thursday to delay the season up to two weeks — from Oct. 17 to as late as one-half hour before sunrise on Nov. 1.
If assessment teams finish their collections in a week, there may be no delay in areas from Vermilion Bay to the Mississippi Sound, Blanchet said. Otherwise, Barham can open the season there with 72 hours public notice.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Associated Press