At Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Austin, the Gulf Coast oysters on the half shell would typically come from Texas this time of year.
Instead, the restaurant is getting them from out of state, manager Onika Reyes said, because of a reddish-brown algae bloom known as red tide that has shut down oyster harvesting along the entire Texas coast.
The red tide flourished in part because of Texas' historic drought conditions and has left dead fish littered along beaches. It has also released a toxin into the air that makes people cough and wheeze. The toxin, which builds up in oyster meat, has devastated the state's oyster harvest, which was worth $19 million in 2010.
"It's horrible," said Clifford Hillman, whose Dickinson, Texas-based company, Hillman's Shrimp & Oyster Co., processes oysters. "I've never seen it like this, ever."
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