USA: New York seafood wholesalers and restaurants, feeling the economic impact of the Gulf oil spill, criticise BP

Record ID: 343632

  • Title: USA: New York seafood wholesalers and restaurants, feeling the economic impact of the Gulf oil spill, criticise BP
  • Date: 23rd June 2010
  • Summary: EXTERIOR CITY CRAB AND SEAFOOD RESTAURANT IN MANHATTAN CITY CRAB BANNER CRAB ON RESTAURANT WINDOW CRAB IN WATER TANK CITY CRAB AND SEAFOOD RESTAURANT EXECUTIVE CHEF JOSEPH VAINA REMOVING CRABS AND LOBSTERS FROM TANK VARIOUS VAINA COOKING IN KITCHEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOSEPH VAINA, CITY CRAB AND SEAFOOD RESTAURANT, EXECUTIVE CHEF, SAYING: "We don't purchase that m
  • Embargoed: 8th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes,Industry
  • Reuters ID: LVAE5XS5GYRVCZQAKEGSA7EIGV1B
  • Story Text: New York seafood wholesalers and restaurants, feeling the impact of the Gulf oil spill, have joined the growing chorus of criticism of BP Plc.
    With a third of the Gulf of Mexico closed to fishing, the effect of BP's oil spill is being felt as far away as the New Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx.
    Considered the "New York Stock Exchange of seafood", the New Fulton Fish Market is America's oldest fish market, housing 37 wholesalers, among them JMS Seafood.
    JMS Seafood owner Scott Bernstein said he has been losing tens of thousands of dollars.
    "We've probably been losing about $10,000 (USD) a week in profit just from our oysters," Bernstein told Reuters.
    "All of our buffet stores, all our distributors, are not able to get that oyster now, and we're having to pay more for Canadian oysters, West Coast oysters, when the Gulf oyster was a very nice staple for our business."
    It's still early days, and wholesalers admit the worst is yet to come. Thirty-six per cent of the Gulf of Mexico has now been closed to fishing, and the wholesale seafood industry fears the knock-on effect could be severe.
    JMS Seafood worker Joe Pagillo said although he welcomeS the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund, it would do little to help him and his family.
    "The commercial fishermen down there, they're getting subsidised, what about people like us if we go out of work? Are we going to get subsidised? Is the government going to take care of us? You gotta think of that, you know? If we keep getting less and less and people are afraid to buy and people don't buy fish, I'm going to be out of a job, and who's gonna pay me?" Pagillo said.
    Bernstein said seafood wholesalers faced the inevitable.
    "You're gonna lose money. You're gonna lose money and people are, more importantly, people are losing their livelihoods, they're losing their livelihoods," Bernstein said.
    Pagillo said he planned to boycott BP, and called for consumers to do the same.
    "I tell you what - I got a message for them. I wish everybody would stop buying BP products. I'm not buying it. And if everybody do that then maybe they'll wake up, you know? It's the only the way - by hitting them in the pocket book," Pagillo said.
    From the market - to the dinner plate - New York seafood restaurants are beginning to feel the economic impact of the BP oil disaster as well.
    Executive Chef Joseph Vaina of City Crab and Seafood said shrimp prices have jumped almost a dollar a pound.
    "We don't purchase that much fish from down from that region, anyway, but the fish that we do use, such as shrimp and whatnot, that is starting to have an affect on the market here. Since it's not being harvested as much as it was, it's driving the prices here for our shrimp up almost to a dollar a pound now, so the impact is definitely being felt," Vaina said.
    Vaina said some restaurant patrons seemed apprehensive about seafood in the wake of the oil spill, and were choosing to dine at steakhouses instead.
    He said his message to BP was simple: "Get it cleaned up, do the right thing, absolutely, BP, please. You know it's hurting all the wildlife, it's hurting the economy, you guys make billions of dollars every day, every month, get it fixed."
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