Tag: Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board
The National Seafood Council Task Force has released a report highlighting pathways to funding for a National Seafood Marketing Campaign and governing structure considerations for the National Seafood Council.
The cold north wind blew through the open Oak Ridge Community Park shelter in Golden Meadow like an express train passing a through a station. A sweater-clad chef stirred a huge pot of gumbo, while others wearing red aprons with the familiar Shell logo served fried catfish and French fries. At a table at the end, King Cakes anchored a paper tablecloth whipping in the constant breeze. But it was the smiles of the fishermen filling their plates that would be most remembered by the volunteers from across Louisiana
LSU Sea Grant, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and members of the Louisiana Fishing Community Recovery Coalition have crafted a five-page “white paper” on the extreme damage and loss of revenue to the Louisiana seafood industry as a result of four hurricanes during the years of 2020-21. All five sectors of the industry have suffered; commercial fishermen, recreation fishing, docks, processors and marinas.
For almost two hours Louisiana’s seafood leaders from all sectors of the industry gathered via zoom, mobile phones at restaurants or in cars, and in a conference room in Baton Rouge to discuss the damage of Hurricane Ida’s wrath on the State’s seafood industry. The consensus; the hurricane laid a path of destruction that has crippled almost every sector.
The billion dollar question haunting the Gulf seafood industry, as well as fisheries across the U.S, is how domestic seafood can compete with imports when fish in the freezers or on the counters of almost every grocery store, and in the kitchen of almost every restaurant, comes from another country? Countries that often fail to impose any semblance of quality control or inspections.
BREAKING NEWS: Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards Joins Call for Seafood Disaster (via Washington Post)
Heeding the call of a seafood coalition led by the Gulf Seafood Foundation, Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United and Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is the first Gulf governor to petition the federal government to declare a Gulf fisheries disaster. Flood waters from the upper Mississippi River tributaries continue to gush into delicate saltwater estuaries vital to the lifespan of a wide variety of Gulf seafood and the livelihood of fishermen and seafood processors.
As a result of record flooding in the central United States, the gates of the Morganza Spillway are set to send fresh water into a fragile ecosystem that is home to a wide variety of Gulf seafood. Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, the Gulf Seafood Foundation and other Gulf-wide organizations are calling for Gulf State governors to make a coordinated request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to declare a state of emergency existing specific to Gulf seafood and its related industries.
A new study by the University of Louisiana Lafayette examining the people and industries on the frontlines of Gulf seafood and detailing how the industry has weathered challenges while capitalizing on opportunities for growth will be expanded to include all Louisiana parishes bordering the Gulf. A $250,000 grant by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board will dovetail with an initial grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the same amount expanding the initial study.
Veteran journalist Ed Lallo has resumed the duties of Editorial Director for Gulf Seafood News after a two-year hiatus. The recently updated news site will serve as the newsroom for the Gulf Seafood Foundation, as well as the Gulf Seafood Institute.
Kristin McLaren has been named Executive Director of the Gulf Seafood Institute by the governing board of directors. McLaren’s passion and background in sustainable fisheries uniquely qualifies her to assume GSI’s Executive Director post as a voice for the Gulf.
Asian Carp, rebranded as Silverfin, is a fish everyone can learn to love. To ensure the survival of native species, Chef Phillipe Parola is working with Louisiana and Illinois to find a solution for the rapidly growing problem of the invasive fish – “If you can’t beat them, eat them.”
Ryan Pearce, son of Gulf seafood stalwart Harlon Pearce, died unexpectedly in his sleep in Austin, Texas on January 24th.
GULF SEAFOOD FOUNATION/GULF SEAFOOD INSTITUTE – Billy Nungesser, Lt. Governor of Louisiana, who sees a huge need and opportunity for his state to become an aquaculture leader in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the world.
This year’s Louisiana Fisheries Forward Summit will be held on Tuesday, March 1st at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner. It will provide fishermen, dock owners, processors and other related businesses an opportunity to network and obtain information on what’s happening in the commercial fishing and seafood industries.
The Gulf of Mexico seafood community is gaining Margaret Henderson, one of the strongest seafood legislative advocates on Capitol Hill, as the new voice for the Gulf as the Executive Director of GSI.
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