FDA to ban sale of raw oysters from Gulf of Mexico

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Federal officials plan to ban sales of raw oysters harvested from the Gulf of Mexico unless the shellfish are treated to destroy potentially deadly bacteria.

Opponents say the requirement could deprive diners of a delicacy cherished for generations.

The proposal would take effect in 2011 for fresh Gulf Coast oysters harvested during warm months. Those oysters would have to be treated with low-dose radiation, a process that would kill them before they get to market.

This new regulation would apply to the entire Gulf Coast, including the Brownsville-South Padre Island area, according to FDA Press Officer Stephanie Kwisnek.

Manuel Reyes, who owns Reyes Seafood Products in Port Isabel, says that people still catch oysters for private consumption in the area, but that local seafood vendors buy their oysters from larger commercial fisheries in other parts of the Gulf Coast.

Industry officials argue that the low-dose radiation procedure is too costly. They say adequate measures already are being taken. The Gulf of Mexico supplies about two-thirds of U.S. oysters.

About 15 people die each year in the United States from raw oysters infected with Vibrio vulnificus, which typically is found in warm coastal waters between April and October.

Laura Tillman of the Brownsville Herald contributed to this report.