Restoring Confidence in Gulf Seafood is the job of the entire U. S. industry

Restoring Confidence in Gulf Seafood is the job of the entire U. S. industry (editorial)

SEAFOOD.COM NEWS by John Sackton (Editorial Comment) - Aug 6, 2010 - There are two important developments for the seafood industry today regarding the Gulf. First, the FDA has released a detailed letter unequivocally stating that dispersants do not accumulate in fish and shellfish, and that they represent no long term threat to Gulf Seafood. Secondly, Harlon Pearce and the Louisiana Seafood Marketing Board are trying to get BP to help focus on reviving supplies of Gulf seafood, though an incentive program that would pay fishermen a 30% bonus over market price for the shrimp and fish they land. The FDA finding should be widely publicized to retailers and chefs. It is the first unequivocal scientific statement that Gulf seafood is safe that does not depend on government testing or monitoring. There is a dangerous momentum around the idea that somehow Gulf seafood is suspect. This not only damages Gulf producers, but it depresses the consumption of all seafood. The dilemma faced by Louisiana is nicely expressed in a Times - Picayune editorial. That is that first, they have suffered from a catastrophic event - the worst oil spill in U. S. history. Many businesses have had to shut down or lost income. But the second part of this dilemma is that in fact, Gulf seafood is safe. What has been available has never had any seafood safety issues. Now, as fisheries areas reopen under an NOAA-FDA protocol, the best thing that could happen for the Gulf is to ramp up supplies of fish and shrimp. Unfortunately, this is the slowest time of the year for fish harvesting. However, later this month and in the fall, the Louisiana white shrimp season will open, and volumes will pick up. This is where Harlon Pearce's initiative for an incentive program comes into play. Many fishermen are burned by their experience with BP and the fishing closures. They have made false starts - i. e. started fishing in one area, only to have to move due to closures. They have been forced into less familiar areas to find fish and shrimp, and the result is that they have become skeptical about being able to make money when the fishery opens again. In this context, an incentive program could help jump start the fishery - bringing in supply that otherwise will not be there. Some in the industry have objected. Won't a 30% incentive give Gulf producers an unfair marketing edge. Knowing that they will not have to pay the full cost of shrimp and finfish, will they be able to undercut competitors? This is a false argument. Market prices will be set by supply and demand, and we already know that there are consumer reactions to high shrimp prices. It is reasonable to expect further declines in shrimp prices as supplies become more plentiful. But the long term cloud hanging over the industry is consumer suspicion of Gulf seafood. An example was a sign at a seafood festival in Chicago last month saying 'OUR LOBSTER & SHRIMP ARE NOT FROM THE GULF COAST.' This type of response only fans consumer fears of seafood. One way to alleviate this is through increases in supply. As more Gulf seafood becomes available, more restaurants and retailers can make the case that, yes, this is a normal product, as safe as anything else available. Giant Eagle in Pittsburgh has just begun such a campaign, promoting its Wild American brown shrimp, caught off the coast of Texas. The more supplies are available, the more other sellers will market them with the message that Gulf seafood is safe. This is what the industry as a whole must support. That is why publicizing the FDA statement is important, and also why there should be broad support for the incentive program proposed by Harlon Pearce. Louisiana and Gulf seafood is an iconic part of the American seafood marketing and culinary universe, and all of us need it back at full strength as soon as possible.