The Texas Department of Health closed the oyster season on Friday due to an algae bloom. The problem isn’t the potentially deadly vibrio vulnificus, but another organism called dinophysis, which is usually found in colder waters. The organism is often a problem in Scandinavia where it is responsible for mussel bed closings in the North Sea. Scientists believe the organism was introduced to Texas in illegally discharged ballast from European ships.
Dinophysis builds up in oyster tissue and can cause intestinal illness in those who eat infected oysters. The algae has turned up all along the Gulf Coast this spring causing oyster reef closings across the region. Oyster season on Texas public reefs was due to close on April 31 anyway, but the Health department closing will also affect oyster leaseholders who usually sell oysters throughout the summer when the public season is closed.
Just came from HEB, where they are selling 9 half-shell oysters in a webbed bag for about $5.50.
I love these Oysters, I wish I could go to Texas and try them. After reading your book SD&Oysters I became even more hooked on them. The moment I got off the long-haul flight I was reading it on I went straight to the Oyster bar in Amsterdam airport to have some disappointing oysters, not like the Gulf Coast or New Orleans ones you had talked about. Luckily, I went onto Hanks Oyster bars website the day after only to find that as I would be arriving back in DC they were having an all you can eat oyster feast, and yes it was worth every penny and the oysters where seriously! mouthwateringly good, just the way you wrote about them in your book. I like my oysters with either a martini (shaken, I can’t drink too much and need the ice) or a beer, white wine is out of the picture. Reading your book made me want to book a flight to New Orleans just in order to order cheap and big/fat oysters. You are a great writer and I admire your work and enthusiasm for the topic. The book definitely provided me with information on the Oyster industry that I would have never explored or known about before reading. Thank you for an awesome read! I wrote about it twice on my blog! Thanks again Robb.