An outspoken voice for the industry, Dean Blanchard’s face is no stranger to the cameras of the BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN and others. During the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, CNN made his Grand Isle home their headquarters. He greets a customer while working at his Grand Isle shrimp dock. Photo: Blanchard Seafood
by Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News
Sitting on Bayou Rigaud in Grand Isle at the southernmost end of LA 1, the docks at Blanchard Seafood plant are about as close to the Gulf of Mexico as possible without getting wet. When Hurricane Ida struck the island that all changed. The plant was not only inundated with water but the winds blew off walls and ceiling leaving Dean Blanchard with more than a million dollars in damages.
Blanchard Seafood was not only inundated with water but the winds blew off walls and ceiling leaving more than a million dollars in damages. Photo: Blanchard Seafood
“It was Katrina like damage,” Blanchard told Gulf Seafood News. “There was less water damage, but a hell of a lot of wind damage. We thought Katrina was a once in a life time storm, but apparently it wasn’t.”
The Category 4 hurricane first made landfall on the barrier island starting a path of destruction that laid waste to the heart of the Louisiana seafood industry.
“The roof was gone, half the walls were gone, equipment was in the bayou, and my shrimp tanks were hanging over the side. I just stopped and looked at it a little while, then cried a little while, wiped my eyes out then started to make a list of what I needed to try and get back into business,” he said.
“The roof was gone, half the walls were gone, equipment was in the bayou, and my shrimp tanks were hanging over the side. I just stopped and looked at it a little while, then cried a little while, wiped my eyes out then started to make a list of what I needed to try and get back into business,” Blanchard said. Photo: Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News
At 63-years of age, Blanchard has seen his share of disasters impacting not only his seafood business, but also the whole state. An outspoken voice for the industry, his face is no stranger to the cameras of the BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN and others. During the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, CNN made his Grand Isle home their headquarters
With little labor available, the dock owner, and what staff he could muster, started fixing the walls and equipment, as well as clearing the docks and water so boats could land. His efforts paid off. With the help of a friend he got a generator, then the state stepped in to provide an additional generator as well as a fresh water system. Within two weeks his business was up and running.
At 63-years of age, Blanchard has seen his share of disasters impacting not only his seafood business, but also the whole state. Photo: Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News
“We had no electricity and no fresh water. The road in and off the isle was a mess and constantly under repair,” he said.
“We wanted to get back in business so our shrimp boats could get back out and start making some money. Everybody’s hurting for money.”
Blanchard Seafood would be without electricity and fresh water for more than five months as crews struggled to clear debris from the island, uncover roads and repair the electrical and water grids. “We were lucky that we could get back into business at all, and even luckier that we have been able to stay open,” he said.
Two weeks after the storm clouds cleared, and with the help of a third generator, Blanchard was able to start unloading both fresh and frozen shrimp. The island dock unloads both freezer and smaller boats, shipping shrimp to processors in all along the Gulf. But the makeshift system was not without problems. He said generators would go out or the makeshift water system could not keep up to demand. “It’s been a fight, I’m not going to lie to you, it’s been a fight.”
20% Of Shrimping Fleet Gone Forever
“Twenty percent of the shrimping fleet you’ll never see them again,” Blanchard told Gulf Seafood News. The shrimp boat Rambo lies with its bottom exposed at a Bayou Barataria marina. Photo: Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News
Besides fighting equipment problems, shortage of both labor and shrimp boats have added to the problem. Blanchard says all his plant workers homes on the island were destroyed in the storm. With no other options, the workers he can get have to travel over an hour each way to and from their job. In addition more than 40% of the fleet was damaged by the hurricane, with just half of that afloat and working again.
“Twenty percent of the shrimping fleet you’ll never see them again,” said Blanchard. “Trying to find labor is impossible. I am working with about 30% of my crew right now. A lot can’t come back to work because they are still working on fixing up their houses. They have to do that first because ‘If the wife ain’t happy, nobody’s happy.’”
Blanchard says he never expected to be working has hard as he is at his age, much less completely exposed to the elements. “I had to work out in those recent cold north winds because the north wall of my plant is completely gone,” he said. “I tell you I haven’t worked this hard in more than 25-years. It has been miserable out there, just miserable.” Photo: Blanchard Seafood
The shortage of everything from labor to wood to food has caused high inflationary prices deterring Blanchard from fixing his plant. He says he never expected to be working has hard as he is at his age, much less completely exposed to the elements.
“I had to work out in those recent cold north winds because the north wall of my plant is completely gone,” he said. “I tell you I haven’t worked this hard in more than 25-years. It has been miserable out there, just miserable.”
The one bright spot has been the shrimp. According to the shrimp buyer this has been his best January every. He says that Hurricane Ida stirred the waters of the Gulf allowing shrimp to survive in areas not seen in since the BP oil spill by eliminating numerous dead zones.
“Thank god the hurricane did bring us extra shrimp, it’s been kind of like a Bubba Gump effect in the movie. I’ve been doing this for 40-years and I bought more shrimp this January than I did the month of May, which is usually our best month. This just ain’t happened before. The hurricane is bad in one way and good in another.”
Blanchard said he was out on the dock one day with seven other fishermen and the youngest of them was 65. “I had 65 to 80-year-old fishermen on the dock, I am 63, I was the youngest one out there,” he said with a laugh in his voice. Docks seen through missing building siding. Photo: Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News
According to the long time Grand Isle resident, shrimp boats in January made the most money ever in a very long time. A ten-day trip has been netting boats between 70-80,000 dollars.
“Those that have been able to work have been catching more shrimp than ever. I guess a lot could also be that there are fewer boats. It’s kind a like the Bubba Gump story, if you have a boat you are going to catch shrimp.”
With the average age of a Gulf fishermen standing above the 50-year mark, Blanchard wonders how much longer can Louisiana seafood be a valuable commodity.
“There are no more young people in this business, the young people don’t want to do this kind of work no more. I was out on the dock one day with seven other fishermen and the youngest of them was 65. I had 65 to 80-year-old fishermen on the dock, I am 63, I was the youngest one out there,” he said with a laugh in his voice.
Shrimp prices seem to be the constant problem for the industry. Fishermen are currently being paid prices the same as those paid in the 1980’s, yet fuel, labor, maintenance, food and other expenses have continued a meteoric rise. Shrimpers have been able to survive on volume, but eventually even that will not become sustainable working model.
Stock photo of the Second Wind shrimping off the coast of Grand Isle. The boat was one of the lucky ones that survived Ida. Photo: Ed Lallo/Gulf Seafood News
Blanchard realizes the Gulf shrimping industry cannot continue to compete with imports; it is not a level playing field. He feels it is imperative to start marketing Gulf shrimp as a premium product with a premium price
“The average parent doesn’t want to feed their children shrimp filled with antibiotics,” he said. “We need to start an effective marketing campaign to upscale customers that our seafood is the safest, tastiest and healthiest in the world. They will pay more if we do this right, be we got to show them, we got to show them that it is worth it.”
“I have known Dean since he was 16 and has always been very resourceful and resilient but his nine lives are running out,” said Jim Gossen of the Gulf Seafood Foundation and a member of the Louisiana Fishing Community Recovery Coalition. “The Gulf of Mexico produces some of the best tasting and healthiest seafood in the world. That’s how we should sell and promote it. There is always a market that is looking for the best.”
When asked why at his age in life would he even consider rebuilding and staying in the shrimp business with all the problems facing the seafood industry , Blanchard answered, “ I don’t really know. It’s what I do I guess. It’s what I’ve done all my life. What else am I going to do?”
This is a great interview with Dean. His heart is in the shrimping industry just as his grandfather’s.