To see lsureveille.com’s coverage of the Oil Spill, click here.Louisiana is all about seafood.But with the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, consumers may see a rise in seafood prices or a shortage in shrimp and oysters — possibly for years to come.The magnitude of the spill’s effects are yet to be seen, but many are preparing for a worst case scenario.The outcome of the oil spill will be based on what happens “from now on,” said Department of Oceanography and Coastal Science associate professor James Cowan.Officials won’t know the full extent of the damage until fish are being collected again, said biology assistant professor Prosanta Chakrabarty.”Everything we pull out of the Gulf will have to go through oil at the surface,” Chakrabarty said. “Oil is likely being mixed under water as well, and that is really problematic.” RESTAURANTSMany area restaurants are waiting to see the full extent of damage from the spill, but some are already seeing its effects.J.K. Lockhart, manager of Sammy’s Grill on Highland Road, said he’s already seen the price of larger shrimp increase by $1.50 per pound.Austin Duszinski, general manager at Tsunami downtown, said the restaurant is stocking up before supplies become harder to find.”This will be a problem that will affect restaurants for years,” Duszinski said.Duke Landry, general manager of Don’s Seafood and Steak House on Airline Highway, said the oil spill has been good for recent business.”People want to get them now because they might not be here later,” Landry said.Landry said Don’s currently has a steady supply, but the price might increase with time. OYSTERS Oysters are particularly vulnerable to oil spill effects because of their inability to move, Cowan said. Patrick Banks, marine biologist in charge of the oyster program at Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries, said there’s no tangible damage yet to the 30 major oysterbeds along Louisiana’s coast.He said most of them are far inland.Banks said the slick hasn’t drifted to the coast west of the Mississippi River.The western coast provides 77 percent of Louisiana’s seafood production, according to the LDWF.”We have not observed any kind of sheen or anything in any of our productive oyster beds,” Banks said.As of Wednesday, the Department of Health and Hospitals has kept closed Areas 2 through 7 in the eastern parts of the Louisiana coast up to Lake Borgne.Banks said biologists haven’t witnessed any direct damage to any of the areas but have closed them according to strict state and federal precautionary regulations — they sample the ecosystems in the zones nearly every day.Oysters are becoming more scarce and harder to buy, Lockhart said.”Many species important to Louisiana recreational and commercial fisheries are estuarine-dependent,” Cowan said.Estuarine species, like spotted sea trout, red drum and croakers, need estuaries to complete their life cycle.Seventy-five percent of all commercial and recreational fisheries are estuarine-dependent.”If the value of those nursery areas are compromised, it could have a big impact all around,” Cowan said. FUTURE OF SEAFOOD “Louisiana is sort of lucky because the oil has moved mostly east of the delta,” Cowan said.Fisheries from the Mississippi River Delta to Tampa closed because of the potential of oil spill, Cowan said.Fisheries east of the delta represent a small source of Louisiana commercial and recreational fishing, Cowan said.Louisiana represents 75 percent of total U.S. Gulf of Mexico landings, the total weight of seafood caught, Cowan said.But the oil could still shift west with time.One concern is El Niño, which has naturally changing western winds, but these conditions are naturally ending now, Cowan said.Winds are currently blowing east, but if normal El Niño patterns return, it will blow northwest into the delta and the area west of the delta and then into the Louisiana Coastal Current, Cowan said.The Louisiana Coastal Current is “potentially a pathway to distribute oil west of the delta and perhaps all the way into Texas waters,” Cowan said.”We have a bigger concern for shrimpers and oystermen,” Landry said. “We hope they will be able to fish when the Gulf opens back up.”–Contact Grace Montgomery at [email protected]