The gushing Gulf

Seafood disasters

By Culinate staff

June 17, 2010

You knew the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico would affect the region’s seafood industry. Two months later, we’re starting to see the repercussions of the as-yet-unplugged gusher: Kim Severson’s obit for the nation's oldest oyster-shucking company, for example, followed by Francis Lam’s explanation of why Gulf oysters matter. And Newsweek took a devastating look at what the spill will kill, noting that the deep-water source of the oil will mean damage at all levels of the ocean.

On the other hand, Time magazine has assessed which seafood you can still eat from the Gulf, concluding that much of it is still edible. And while the Associated Press reported that prices on Gulf seafood are going up, President Barack Obama has tried to assuage concerns by proclaiming the ocean’s bounty safe to eat.