Seafood producers could be hit hard

[steve2470]

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2005-08-29-katrina-seafood-usat_x.htm

By Jim Hopkins, USA TODAY
Louisiana oysters and other consumer goods that depend on busy Gulf Coast ports could be hurt by Hurricane Katrina, boosting prices.

Commodities and goods at risk include poultry, cotton and catfish in Mississippi and timber across the region.

Industry and government authorities said it was too early to gauge damage. But warehouse operators and cold storage houses along gulf ports are almost certain to be harmed, slamming seafood producers already reeling from higher fuel costs.

China and other countries could pick up the slack for shrimp because they're already big exporters to the USA. But if gulf oyster beds are damaged, "Prices would go sky high," says Bob Jones, executive director of the Southeastern Fisheries Association in Tallahassee, Fla.

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