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Seadrift seafood retailer worries oyster recall will hurt

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  • BY JJ VELASQUEZ - JVELASQUEZ@VICAD.COM
  • Originally published December 9, 2009 at 6 p.m., updated December 10, 2009 at 12:15 a.m.

  • SYMPTOMS OF NOROVIRUS:

    Vomiting

    Diarrhea

    Nausea

    Stomach cramping

    Symptoms last one to two days and begin one to two days after consumption. Life-threatening or long-term effects are unusual.

A Seadrift seafood retailer worries a statewide recall could hurt his business, even though he bought none of the virus-spreading oysters.

Wesley Blevins, owner of Chunky Monkeys, said Wednesday that a statewide oyster recall could cause panic among consumers and even hurt sales of oysters harvested from non-contaminated sources.

"I know a lot of people get scared, but I don't really think they have anything to worry about," Blevins said.

A statewide recall on oysters harvested from the San Antonio Bay was issued Friday.

Norovirus, a group of viruses that cause stomach flu, infected several people in two states outside Texas, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Health experts link the virus to oyster consumption.

No oyster-related illnesses are thus far reported in Texas.

Blevins witnessed an oyster scare in 2007, the year norovirus infected 25 Maryland residents who consumed oysters from San Antonio Bay.

The Food and Drug Administration issued an advisory and the oyster beds were closed. Likewise, the San Antonio Bay is closed now to commercial oyster harvesting.

Blevins said the 2007 oyster scare was over-hyped by the media. The norovirus infections were not caused by the oysters, he said.

The state health department advised consumers to avoid oysters harvested from the San Antonio Bay and bought on Nov. 16. The virus has not infected other fish, the state reports.

"I think the biggest part of it is probably OK now," Blevins said. "Any oysters that were harvested then should have been disposed of anyway."

Norman Boyd is a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department ecosystem leader for the San Antonio Bay. He doesn't expect the latest recall to harm the industry, but he said it might put a damper on oyster farming in the bay.

Restaurants might stop buying oysters harvested from there altogether, he said.

Derrell Pollard, manager of Black Diamond Oyster Bar in Corpus Christi, said the restaurant did not have any of the recalled oysters in stock. A majority of the oysters Black Diamond sells are harvested from Lavaca Bay, he said.

The state monitors health concerns well enough that few people become sick, Pollard said.

"It's normally taken care before it gets to widespread distribution," he said.

The oyster bar suffered about a 50 percent drop in business last weekend, Pollard said. He doesn't know whether to blame the oyster scare.

"It could be a combination of things: people doing Christmas shopping, the economy," he said.


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Comments

  • bellisandburney bellisandburney Report a ViolationReport a Violation Permalink

    So is the bay open again yet? If not, when will there be a re-test and subsequent decision on re-opening the bay? Has anyone asked the state health department about that? Frankly, the thought of eating oysters from Lavaca Bay, scares me a lot more than those from San Antonio Bay, regardless of open or closed status.

    December 10, 2009 at 10:53 a.m.