Widespread oyster deaths found on La. reefs
<!-- -->Associated Press - July 16, 2010 12:54 PM ET
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Surveys of coastal oyster grounds have discovered extensive deaths of the shellfish, further threatening an industry already in free-fall because of BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The deaths are blamed on the opening of release valves on the Mississippi River in an attempt to use fresh water to flush oil out to sea. Giant diversion structures at Caernarvon and Davis Pond have been running full-tilt since May 8 on the orders of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
More than 34,550 cubic feet of water per second is flowing into coastal Louisiana, enough to fill the Superdome once an hour.
Patrick Banks, oyster manager for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said in an e-mail that reefs east of the Mississippi River appeared to be dying.
http://www.wxvt.com/Global/story.asp?S=12819253
<!-- -->Associated Press - July 16, 2010 12:54 PM ET
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Surveys of coastal oyster grounds have discovered extensive deaths of the shellfish, further threatening an industry already in free-fall because of BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The deaths are blamed on the opening of release valves on the Mississippi River in an attempt to use fresh water to flush oil out to sea. Giant diversion structures at Caernarvon and Davis Pond have been running full-tilt since May 8 on the orders of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.
More than 34,550 cubic feet of water per second is flowing into coastal Louisiana, enough to fill the Superdome once an hour.
Patrick Banks, oyster manager for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said in an e-mail that reefs east of the Mississippi River appeared to be dying.
http://www.wxvt.com/Global/story.asp?S=12819253
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