By Nancy Davis 



Banned shellfish scared consumers away 

 from otherwise safe seafood 



Photo by Scott Taylor 



eafood Lovers Avoid the Captain's Platter 



ncle Henry's Oyster Roast has seen 

 some bad seasons . . . but none as bad 

 as this one. 



hen the toxic red tide swept into 

 North Carolina and closed 200 miles of 

 the state's coastal waters, it nearly 

 wiped out the Wilmington restaurant's 

 business. 



ovember and December are peak 

 months for oysters, the restaurant's 

 specialty. Usually at that time of year, 

 Uncle Henry's does about $1,700 

 worth of business each week. 



ut this year, red tide got the best of 

 that business. 



n early December, the restaurant was 

 taking in less than $100 a week. 



enry Kirkum, the third generation of 

 his family to operate Uncle Henry's, 

 says, "People just quit eating 

 everything. They just don't even come 

 in." 



ed tide dealt a blow to North 

 Carolina's seafood industry. But con- 

 sumer fear struck a knock-out punch 

 that left some owners of small seafood 

 restaurants and markets struggling to 

 get back on their feet. 



hellfish— oysters, clams and 

 scallops— in affected areas were 

 banned. But finfish, shrimp and crabs 

 were safe to eat. 



ven so, consumers were wary. And 

 many swore off seafood altogether. 



he result: the red tide took a larger 

 toll on the seafood industry than it had 

 to. 



eafood experts say the toxic algae af- 

 fects only shellfish. Although the red 

 tide may kill some finfish, fish are safe 

 to eat. The algae doesn't concentrate 

 in the flesh of a fish. Instead, it kills 



the fish by paralyzing its gills or by 

 reducing oxygen levels in the water. 



ut seafood consumers didn't trust 

 what they were hearing. And even pic- 

 tures of Gov. James Martin sampling 

 North Carolina seafood did little to 

 change folks' minds. 



he effects of the red tide rippled 

 through coastal North Carolina like the 

 Domino effect. First fishermen, then 

 seafood dealers, and eventually, 

 restaurant and hotel owners suffered. 



report released by the N.C. Division 

 of Marine Fisheries estimated that 

 more than 600 coastal businesses were 

 losing millions of dollars because of 

 the red tide. About 9,000 commercial 

 fishermen were affected. 



t couldn't have happened at a worse 

 time. Fishermen count on the shellfish 

 for Christmas money. And seafood 

 dealers usually see business pick up 

 during the holiday season. 



1 rom the individual clammer 

 whose livelihood is at bay, it's trickled 

 down to people who truck the clams to 

 people who serve the clams in 

 restaurants," says Doug Brady, owner 

 of Meridian Seafood, a wholesale and 

 retail seafood business in Morehead 

 City. 



rady estimates his business dropped 

 by 80 percent because he couldn't con- 

 vince his customers that seafood was 

 safe. 



i i 've had people come in here who 

 have lived on the coast all their life 

 and say, 'I want some fish. Can you 

 get me some from out-of-state?'" 

 Brady says. 



uring the holidays, traditionally a 

 popular season for seafood, Wilmington 



seafood dealer John Peterson usually 

 sells about 60 gallons of shucked 

 oysters. 



his season, he sold 20 gallons. 



he oysters came from Virginia, 

 several hundred miles from the North 

 Carolina waters affected by red tide. 

 But folks were afraid the oysters had 

 come from contaminated waters. 



t the Bridge Tender Restaurant in 

 Wilmington, manager Bob West took 

 an educational approach to the 

 problem. He trained his wait staff to 

 answer customers' questions about red 

 tide. 



est also made sure his staff knew 

 where the restaurant's seafood came 

 from. 



ortunately for West, the restaurant's 

 bill of fare included more than 

 seafood. He noticed a sharp rise in 

 orders for prime rib and steak. 



any coastal businesses have ac- 

 cepted this season as a loss. But 

 seafood retailers and restaurateurs are 

 optimistic. They think that once the 

 red tide has diminished, folks will 

 start buying their product again. 



ut if the red tide returns, as some 

 scientists believe it will, the seafood 

 industry wants to be prepared. 



or dealers in the southern part of 

 the state, that means banding together 

 to form the Cape Fear Seafood Dealers' 

 Association. 



eterson, president of the newly- 

 formed association, says the group will 

 be ready next time red tide hits. 

 They'll mount a public relations cam- 

 paign to be sure folks know that some 

 seafoods are safe. 



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