Why the best time to eat Louisiana oysters is right now

Flashback: Louisiana's oyster population took a major hit in 2019 when historic flooding led officials to open the Bonnet Carre Spillway, wreaking havoc on salinity levels.

• Then, the industry suffered again during the pandemic when restaurant demand for oysters dropped.
• But now, drought conditions in 2022 and throughout 2023 have the population climbing back, according to Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries biologist Robert Caballero.

The same drought issues that had the saltwater wedge creeping up the Mississippi River and threatening freshwater supplies for human consumption were also increasing salinity amongst the coastal estuaries.

• That means all good things for oysters and the people who eat them.
• "Generally, people like the salty oysters, and the drought will bring more salinity to oyster reefs," Caballero says. Plus, because it's winter time, "oysters are fattening up for springtime spawning, so customers can expect oysters to be plumper and saltier right now."

By the numbers: In 2023, LDWF divers saw a 95% year-over-year increase in adult oysters ready to be harvested on public reefs.

• And it'll just get better, because divers also saw a 148% increase in seed oysters, which is the next generation growing.

Yes, but: "We're not going to be breaking any records," Caballero cautioned, pointing to the early 2000s when the state consistently saw adult and seed oyster populations well over the 1 million barrel mark.

Go deeper: 10 of the best oyster happy hours in New Orleans.