An announcement Friday, November 13, by the federal Food and Drug Administration put a stop, at least temporarily, to the talk of banning the sale of fresh oysters from the Gulf of Mexico during several months of the year. After receiving overwhelming opposition from members of the oyster industry as well as legislators from Gulf Coast states, the agency announced it was delaying the ban indefinitely. A statement from the FDA on its website said, "It is clear from our discussions to date that there is a need to further examine both the process and the timing for large and small oyster harvesters to gain access to processing facilities." Although there are a few large oyster producers who have pastuerization equipment or other types of treatment facilities, most oyster harvesters and wholesalers said treatment equipment and facilities would be cost prohibitive. The FDA had announced its proposal to ban the sale of raw oysters at a shellfish industry meeting in October. At that time, the proposal stated that the oysters would have to undergo processing in order to be sold. The processing could involve partial cooking, pasteurizing, freezing or other methods. Oyster harvesters and restaurateurs said this would make the oysters unmarketable. The FDA`s concern is that the bacteria vibrio vulnificus causes the death of approximately 15 people per year, in addition to the illnesses and injuries to many others. | 
