In Local News
The Food and Drug Administration says Gulf of Mexico Oysters Unsafe. That’s true because the incident of Vibrio vulnificus in Gulf waters is higher than ever, due to the water being warmer than ever. The old saying about not eating oysters in months without an “R” is based on the need of Vibrio for warm water.
When you add in the pollution caused by the reduced outflow into the Gulf, the result of lower rainfalls in some areas, and higher water use upstream, the problems increase. Oysters filter the water for their food, so anything in the water will be in the oysters. We aren’t having more red tide blooms every year because the Gulf is healthy. I certainly wouldn’t recommend anyone eat raw oysters other than during the Fall and Winter months.
The Local Puppy Trainer confirms what I already knew we have had more rain than normal:
Heavy, regular rainfall has made Okaloosa, Walton and Santa Rosa counties the soggiest counties in Florida, according to the latest drought index numbers.
On Tuesday’s Keetch Byran(sic) Drought Index, which estimates the dryness of the soil, Okaloosa was the big, wet winner with a low score of 36.
Walton County came in second at 64, while Santa Rosa scored at 76.
The lowest possible score is 0. The highest is 800.
None of the counties are likely to dry out anytime soon.
Actually it’s the Keetch-Byram drought index (KBDI), but NOAA misspells it all the time, and the normal range for the Fall in North Florida is 241 to 420. The big thing to keep in mind is that the only tropical weather we have seen this year is Tropical Storm Claudette, which only produced about a quarter inch of rain in Okaloosa County. This is all the result of “normal” rain events.
2 comments
I don’t do oysters, mussels, abalone, etc. Don’t like the texture/consistancy. Saved me from getting really sick like alot of my friends who do “oyster shooters.”
Dungeness crab, however, is an entirely different story.
I ate oysters all the time as a child, We used a rake to dislodge them from the dock pilings and ate them fresh out of the water. Of course, at that time the bayou was clean and clear, so there was no problem with eating sea food, and we didn’t do it in the summer.
A package of saltines, a bottle of cocktail sauce, and screwdriver – that was a great lunch.