P.E.I. oyster producers have been selling more shellfish to the United States as a result of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

"Last year this time we were shipping no oysters to the Gulf," said Ted Boutilier of Future Seafoods in Fernwood. "This year, we've had at least 30,000 to 40,000 every week going there."

Boutilier told CBC News his company has also witnessed an increase in overall sales to the United States.

"Sales are up at least 60 to 70 per cent over this period last year, and it is as a direct result of the Gulf closures."

Louisiana supplies about half of the oysters sold in the United States, but most of those plants are closed because of the spill. U.S. distributors are buying P.E.I. oysters and shipping them off to fill the void.

"We're getting calls every single day from customers, people we've never even talked to, looking to source oysters ... from Canada," said Jefferson Oranellas, sales manager with J.P.'s Shellfish in Maine. "There's such a shortage down there, that they're calling in left and right."

Oranellas said buyers are also willing to pay a premium.

Frustration in Louisiana

Ewell Smith, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, said it has been a frustrating situation for fishermen in Louisiana.

"These people who are seventh- and eighth-generation [fishermen] don't know where their future lies tomorrow," Smith said.

Of all the seafood Louisiana serves up from its shores, Smith said, oysters have suffered the most, with production down between 70 and 80 per cent.

Industry experts say P.E.I. oysters can already fetch triple the price of their Louisiana counterparts, though the reason why is disputed. Some say it's because P.E.I. produces fewer oysters, while others say the province's oysters are tastier.

The fact that Canadians are picking up the slack doesn't surprise Mike Voisin of Motivatit Seafoods Inc. in Houma, La., one of the few companies still shelling out oysters.

Workers shuck oysters at P&J Oyster Co. in New Orleans. Work is coming to a halt at the 134-year-old establishment after oyster beds were closed because of the BP oil spill. (Charlie Riedel/Associated Press)

"I'm happy that they would be able to fill whatever gap potentially we might not be able to accomplish," said Voisin, who estimates his business has lost close to $1 million since the BP oil spill. "I look forward to the day when we come back into the market."

Voisin said the biggest challenge facing Louisiana's $2.4-billion seafood industry is protecting the brand.

While most of the state's harvesting areas are closed, he said, most of the oil has been staying offshore and seafood in the area is being routinely monitored.

"All seafood that's been tested, even in the closed areas, has been clean," he said.

Smith said the market in Louisiana remains fairly strong, but he believes it could take some time after the spill to completely restore consumer confidence across the country.

Even though the blown-out well was capped Thursday, round-the-clock video of gushing oil will linger in consumers' minds for a long time, said Smith.

"People have had that burned in their imaginations," he said. "No matter how many marketing dollars I have, it's going to be very difficult to overcome that."

Boutilier, meanwhile, has some mixed feelings about the success he has been having as a result of the spill.

"Our business is doing better than it ever has been," he said. "There's a certain satisfaction that comes from that, as well as the feeling of, you know, empathy for our brothers in the Gulf of Mexico area."

With files from The Canadian Press