While the rules for Gulf of Mexico oyster refrigeration likely won't change much come May 1, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to clamp down much more stringently on regulations enacted over the past several years. The fear is that if Louisiana is found in noncompliance of federal health regulations for yet another year, the consumption of untreated oysters could be curbed in the summer months.
After an information session with oyster harvesters, dealers and processors in St. Bernard Parish on Monday night to explain all the rules — mainly emphasizing the importance of now following them — Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries and Department of Health & Hospitals officials will hold another session in Plaquemines tonight and a third and last in Houma on Tuesday.
The meeting in the Belle Chasse Auditorium, 8442 Highway 23, is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight. The Houma meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Houma Municipal Auditorium, 800 Verret Street.
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