Mississippi’s oyster industry has suffered greatly because of several natural and man-made disasters, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the BP Oil Spill in 2010, openings of the Bonnet Carré Spillway. All of these events have contributed to the decline of local wild oyster populations. In 2004, oyster fishermen in Mississippi harvested nearly 500,000 sacks of oysters since then oyster harvest in Mississippi has fallen drastically.