After Sandy: Ripple effect of storm damage spreads impact far through the seafood supply chain

摘要

Parsons Seafood wasn't built in a day, but Superstorm Sandy nearly destroyed the century-old shellfish farming and wholesaler in less than 24 hours. With its relentless one-two, water-and-wind punches, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record pummeledthe New Jersey shore at Tuckerton on Oct. 29, leveling the business's oyster hatchery and sending a surge of sea water 4 feet high into its wholesale storefront. "We lost about 15 to 20 percent of our field-grow operations, but it didn't take everything," says Dale Parsons, who oversees the family's now-battered $4 million aquacul-ture business. "A hatchery is like a musical instrument that anyone can put together to make it work, but fine tuning it for the right result takes a long time. We'll lose at least a year getting it back."