LOOP Oil Spill Forces Louisiana to Close Oyster Harvesting Areas Along the Coast

TERRBONNE BAY, La. (KPEL News) — Six oyster harvesting areas along Louisiana’s coast are now closed following concerns that the crude oil spill near Port Fourchon has contaminated nearby waters. The Louisiana Department of Health shut down Basin 12, which includes Harvest Areas 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 21, on March 14 as a precautionary measure tied to the LOOP oil spill that has been unfolding since late February.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is working alongside LDH to monitor the situation and determine when the areas can safely reopen.

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What Triggered the Basin 12 Closure

The closure traces directly back to a mechanical failure at the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port on February 26. A cargo transfer hose failed at the deepwater facility located roughly 18 miles offshore, releasing an estimated 31,500 gallons of crude oil into the Gulf. The source of the leak was secured, and cleanup operations began quickly, but oil spread to barrier islands and coastal areas in the weeks that followed.

According to the LDWF, the closure is precautionary, driven by reports of oil sheen in the Basin 12 harvest areas and the volume of cleanup vessel traffic operating in those waters. That combination raised enough concern about shellfish safety that state officials moved to shut the areas down rather than wait for confirmed contamination.

Harvest Areas 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 21 will remain closed until environmental conditions meet the requirements set by the National Shellfish Sanitation Program, the federal framework governing safe shellfish harvest and sale.

How Big Was the LOOP Spill

The spill stands as one of the more significant offshore incidents in recent years for Louisiana’s coast. According to a Unified Command update, approximately 31,500 gallons — about 750 barrels — of crude oil were discharged following the hose failure. Cleanup crews recovered a substantial portion of that oil quickly, with nearly 90 percent recovered in the early weeks of the response.

The Unified Command, made up of the U.S. Coast Guard, the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office, and LOOP itself, coordinated a response that at its peak included more than 460 personnel, 60 vessels, and roughly 28,300 feet of boom deployed across affected areas. Aerial surveillance using drones, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft tracked the oil’s movement daily.

Lafourche Parish President Mitch Orgeron said in a March 18 update that the spill had no major local impacts beyond tar balls found offshore, and that cleanup operations remain active. He also made clear that LOOP bears responsibility for the impact to the community.

Seafood Workers in Terrebonne and Lafourche Fear the Worst

While the physical cleanup is progressing, coastal seafood workers are dealing with a different kind of damage. The economic uncertainty tied to the closure — and the potential for consumer avoidance of local seafood — has the industry on edge.

Angela Portier, who runs Faith Family Shrimp Company in Cocodrie, told WVUE the situation is already weighing on her community. “I just think it’s going to be tough. Tough for everyone in our community, just with the uncertainty of the economic impact at this time. Just the uncertainty is scary.”

Terrebonne Parish Council member Kim Chauvin, whose family operates shrimp docks and processing facilities, pointed out that the damage doesn’t stop at the water’s edge. “It starts with the fishermen, but it doesn’t stop just at the seafood dock,” she said. “There is more to this picture, because you have food trucks, you have seafood markets, you have restaurants. You have to let them know what’s going on.”

Chauvin also called for better coordination between LDH and LDWF and expressed frustration with what she described as a communications gap, drawing an unfavorable comparison to lessons from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.

One piece of reassurance for shrimp producers: Chauvin noted that most shrimp currently on the market was harvested and frozen between August and December, well before the spill occurred, meaning that inventory is unaffected.

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When Will Oyster Harvesting Reopen

No specific timeline has been given for when Basin 12 will reopen. According to LDWF, reopening will happen as soon as environmental conditions are verified to be within the requirements of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program. That process requires monitoring data from both agencies before any determination is made.

Anyone seeking updates can check the Louisiana Department of Health website directly or call LDH at 800-256-2775.

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