• Erin Pradia •
• Originally published October 26, 2011 at 7:24 p.m., updated October 26, 2011 at 11:05 p.m.

• RED TIDE

• The Texas Department of State Health Services will continue to monitor the red tide and will open areas to harvesting when it is safe to do so.

  For the latest information on the opening and closing of oyster ...

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RED TIDE

The Texas Department of State Health Services will continue to monitor the red tide and will open areas to harvesting when it is safe to do so.

For the latest information on the opening and closing of oyster harvest areas, call DSHS at 1-800-685-0361.

For information on red tide, visit dshs.state.tx.us/seafood/redtide.shtm

This year, a massive red tide has put oyster harvesting on hold, decreasing the projected staff at Hillman Shrimp and Oyster Co. on Nov. 1 from about 260 employees to 11.

"It will affect everyone in the state who harvests oysters for a living," said Clifford Hillman, president and owner of Hillman Shrimp and Oyster Co. "The last six years have been like the perfect storm for the oyster business - first the hurricanes and flooding, and now the drought."

In addition to the cuts in processing staff, those who supply businesses with oysters they collect from independently-owned boats will be out of work, resulting in another 300 unemployed.

Hillman said the red tide is blamed on the severe drought this year.

"Generally red tide may affect one or two bay areas, but this year, the entire Texas coast line is affected," Hillman said.

Oyster harvesting in all Texas coastal waters is closed because of red tide - an algae bloom of Karenia brevis, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Red tide has been detected along the Texas coastline from Brownsville to Galveston. As a result, all Texas coastal waters are closed to the commercial and recreational harvesting of oysters, clams and mussels until further notice, the department's news release said.

The public can normally harvest oysters from November through April. Experts say the red tide, present along Texas since early September, thrives in warm salty water and has killed at least 3 million fish, according to the Associated Press.

The Department of State Health Services on Wednesday announced the ban.

The agency is also advising people not to harvest and eat oysters, clams, or mussels from Texas coastal waters. The bloom contains a toxin that can lead to shellfish poisoning in humans, according to the Associated Press.

The warning does not apply to other types of seafood such as shrimp, finfish, crabs or to commercial seafood products from other states or countries. Oysters in the market place that were harvested before the red tide began, or from other states, are not affected by this algae bloom, according to the TDSH news release.

"The only thing that will help at this point is rainfall," Hillman said. "Oyster harvesting will open if and when the red tide goes away."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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