Expect to pay more for crabs, shrimp, oysters and fish this summer. Prices are already rising in response to the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that has ended seafood harvesting in parts of the gulf.
Chuck Donohue, owner of Lewes Fish House on Route 1, said he’s already seen shrimp prices rise during the past week.
“Absolutely prices are going up all around. Prices for seafood will go up even if it comes from regions not affected by the spill,” Donohue said.
“It’s not good. The oyster population will be devastated if all goes bad,” Donohue said Monday, May 3. He said prices will continue to soar, especially if oil hits the Gulf Stream and travels up the East Coast.
“This is going to affect the Asian markets, especially shrimp,” Donohue said. He said all sorts of seafood are harvested from the Gulf of Mexico, including shrimp, tuna, swordfish, red snapper, grouper and wahoo. He said he has suppliers from the gulf, but he has not spoken with them since the British Petroleum drilling platform exploded and sank, unleashing a volcano of oil April 20 that continues two weeks later.
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Caption: Matt Terry stocks shrimp at Sexton's Seafood in Cahaba Heights, AL. Manager Jason Schroeder says the ongoing oil spill is curtailing Gulf supplies.
Photo by Tamika Moore, The Birmingham News