by Kevin McGill/The Associated Press
Louisiana crab fishers took a big hit from Hurricane Isaac, according to the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. Board member Gary Bauer, who runs a crab processing business in Slidell, said sunken boats, damaged docks and a lack of electricity and ice are among the problems crabbers face. An assessment Friday by the promotion board said crab harvests suffered significant disruption due to Isaac. Disruption for shrimp and finfish was described as moderate while oyster production will be limited until October.
Crabbers Cody Diefeubach and Butch Lind stack their crab traps on a trailer Aug. 27 in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Isaac. Photo: John McCusker/The Times-Picayune
Dollar estimates of losses weren’t available but the assessment noted that parishes where a federal disaster has been declared include areas where the dockside values of commercial fishing is about 75 percent of the state total of nearly $320 million.
Bauer said his business was shut down for days by the storm, and not just because of power outages. The facility usually processes more than 18,000 crabs a day this time of year, he said. But crabbers have only been able to provide him 6,000 pounds over the last 12 days. When harvests will pick up again was uncertain.
The post NOLA.com: Hurricane Isaac hits Louisiana Crabbers Hard appeared first on Louisiana Seafood News.