Louisiana Shrimp and the BP Oil Spill.

Update !  The well has been sealed !  The shrimp is safe.

     It's been said that 44% of the nation's shrimp comes from the Louisiana coast. I dont know the exact number, but that sounds about right to me. Regardless of what the President has done right or wrong ( mostly wrong) on this whole oil spill thing, I know that the Gulf Of Mexico is much more resilient than most people think.

     That said, Louisiana shrimpers and fishermen dont want to make people sick. They've said so themselves. So many are holding back a little on the recently opened shrimp season.

     In-depth testing is underway as I write this. According to some sources, the Gulf of Mexico will be fine in 6-8 months, as the oil and dispersants degrade. Some say earlier and some say later. Some say it's Ok right now.

     I'm sure some of the Louisiana fishermen are targeting areas located "upstream" of the normal Gulf current flow from the spill area right now to harvest their shrimp. If so, they are the smart ones.

     Meanwhile, foreign, farm raised shrimp are probably enjoying a small boost in sales. But I wont buy them. They taste funny to me. Besides, I tend to spend my money on American made goods and services when I can. For a native of Louisiana to buy, eat or even support a seafood industry located outside the Gulf States area is akin to burning his own house down and then wondering what happened. Nope....for me it's Louisiana seafood all the way. I wouldnt dare use anything else in my Cajun seafood gumbo recipe. My second choice would be seafood harvested from the Texas coast.

     I've bought fresh shrimp directly off the boats at the dock in South Louisiana. There's nothing like it. If you think you've eaten fresh shrimp and you were more than 100 miles from the Louisiana Gulf coast, you're mistaken, and someone sold you a bill of goods. There is no cleaner tasting, fresher seafood available than that which has be harvested less than 2 hours ago. It's healthy. And healthy eating is what I'm all about. Dont get me wrong, I'll indulge in not-so-healthy dinners now and then, but I prefer eating in a healthy manner for the most part.  I also spend a lot of time working out in a gym, too.

     Whether it's fresh Louisiana shrimp, crabs, redfish, speckled trout or southern flounder, the spices used in authentic Cajun cuisine, while delicious, wont cover up bad seafood. Thus, the reluctance of some of the Louisiana shrimpers to harvest shrimp right now. No sense in ruining an entire industry for years by jumping the gun. There are some very credible scientists performing extensive tests on the seafood now and soon, they'll let us know what they find.

     My guess is that with the exception of oysters, all the seafood gathered from Louisiana waters will be Ok...even now. The oysters....especially raw ones will probably take a little longer, due to their slow digestive tracts.

     Either way, by January 2011, I think they'll all be fine. But what do I know? I've only spent over 50 years of my life catching and eating Louisiana's fresh seafood. I'm no scientist, nor am I a commerical fisherman.

     No.... I'm like you. I love good spicy food. It's a wonder I'm not overweight.

Tight lines !

~Froggy~