Louisiana

Genetic testing shows more Gulf of Mexico shrimp at Louisiana seafood market, festival • Louisiana Illuminator

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1 month ago

November 28, 2024

Genetic testing shows more Gulf of Mexico shrimp at Louisiana seafood market, festival • Louisiana Illuminator

A joint WVUE-TV Fox and Louisiana Illuminator investigation into shrimp sold at festival and market vendors in the New Orleans area found most of the samples to be domestic.

The results could indicate retailers and event organizers are becoming more careful about how they label and present their dishes.

The samples of shrimp were collected from nine vendors at an area seafood market in early November and from five vendors Oct. 6 at the Gretna Heritage Festival. Only one of the samples, which came from a non-restaurant vendor at the Gretna Fest, tested positive as foreign. All nine samples from the seafood market were from the Gulf of Mexico, the analysis found.

The testing was performed by SeaD Consulting, a food safety technology company that recently developed a rapid seafood species identification test. Dave Williams, a Houston resident, developed the process in collaboration with Florida State University microbiologist Prashant Singh.

“I grew up in the fishing communities,” Williams said. “It’s important to me.”

Their technology examines tissue for specific DNA markers unique to a species of Asian shrimp commonly raised in aquaculture farms.

The Illuminator and WVUE-TV Fox 8 independently collected the shrimp samples and shipped them to Singh’s laboratory at Florida State, following an industry standard chain-of-custody protocol.

Last month, SeaD Consulting used its own team to collect seven samples from the inaugural Louisiana Shrimp Festival in New Orleans. Testing from that event showed all seven samples were domestic, though that was expected considering the event served as a fundraiser for local shrimpers.

Those results are a far cry from those seen at the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in Morgan City, where four out of five vendors evaluated during the Labor Day weekend event were serving shrimp that tested positive for foreign genetic markers.

A similar story unfolded a few weeks later at the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Oct. 12. Testing by SeaD Consulting at that event revealed four out of five samples were farm-raised imports.

A row of food vendors at the 2024 Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in Morgan City, La. (Photo courtesy of Erin Williams/Sea D Consulting)

News of the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival results sparked immediate outrage from consumers and public officials who have been trying for years to address the ongoing problem of imported seafood. State Rep. Jessica Domangue, R-Houma, publicly excoriated Shrimp & Petroleum Festival organizers for allowing its vendors to undermine Louisiana’s unique culture and “openly violate Louisiana law” for years.

Williams said he believes word of his testing has gotten out to festival and market organizers, prompting them to consider stricter rules for food vendors. He has now turned his attention to the restaurant industry, which he said has been more resistant to change.

“We don’t want to stop people promoting their product in a manner that helps them sell it,” Williams said. “So if they’re going to put boats on the wall, if they’re going to have nets, if they’re going to imply that they’re local, then, for God’s sake, serve local product.”

State laws require restaurants and anyone else selling seafood in Louisiana to label it as such, but the state never adequately funded enforcement of the laws. Ambiguity in state law prevented health inspectors from levying fines even after recording more than 2,600 violations since 2019. Lawmakers rectified that issue with legislation passed in May, calling for stricter enforcement.

Laws at the federal level have seen a recent step-up in enforcement.

Last summer, U.S. Food & Drug Administration agents arrested the owners of an iconic Mississippi Gulf Coast restaurant and their seafood wholesalers on charges related to a decades-long fish substitution scheme. The individuals pleaded guilty to felonies ranging from wire fraud to mislabeling seafood.

In the wake of that case, the Federal Trade Commission adopted new guidance in October to clarify that restaurant decor, imagery, menu descriptions and slogans that suggest their seafood is local could be illegal if the restaurant is not actually serving domestic catch, according to Reuters.

Pile of shrimp sitting on table on a boat — A batch of wild caught Gulf of Mexico shrimp sits on a sorting table on shrimper Keo Nguyen’s boat at a dock east of Lake Borgne prior to bringing it to a seafood market Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)

According to some estimates, upwards of 80% to 90% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported. The foreign seafood industry has a number of problems. Some seafood companies have been caught using slave labor for commercial fishing and processing, and testing of imported seafood in Louisiana revealed the presence of banned veterinary chemicals that are potentially harmful to humans.

Louisiana shrimper and seafood retailer David Chauvin said the influx of cheap imported shrimp has decimated the domestic industry.

“For us to compete with imported shrimp, we can’t,” he said. “If we keep going down this road, we’ll be out of business.”

Chauvin said he believes regular genetic testing at restaurants and festivals could make a big difference for the industry. He and other shrimpers have been asking for tighter regulations for years, but he said there are many big businesses making a lot of money from the status quo. The state should at least require all state institutions, such as schools and prisons, to prohibit serving imported shrimp, he said.

Chauvin’s idea was actually included in legislation Louisiana approved in May that will take effect Jan. 1. The new law will require all local school districts, state agencies and state institutions that serve seafood to use only domestic shrimp and crawfish. It will also set much stricter country-of-origin laws for restaurants, prohibitions against vague menu descriptions, clear enforcement authorizations for state agencies and much higher fines for labeling violations by retailers and wholesalers.

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Louisiana

Bryson Daily Leads No. 19 Army to 27-6 Victory Over Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl

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1 hour ago

December 29, 2024

Press Room

Bryson Daily Leads No. 19 Army to 27-6 Victory Over Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — Bryson Daily broke the FBS record for touchdowns by a quarterback in a season with 32, running for three scores in No. 19 Army’s 27-6 victory over Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl on Saturday night.

Daily ran for 127 yards on 27 carries and was 2-of-9 passing for 65 yards to help Army set a program victory record at 12-2. Daily broke the FBS quarterback record for touchdowns in a season set by Navy’s Keenan Reynolds in 2013.

“I’m really proud of this senior class, the way we came together to have this season,” Daily said. “To have two six-win seasons in a row, to turn it around and get 12, just extremely proud of the guys.”

Hayden Reed added 114 yards rushing and a TD on 20 carries.

Army entered the game with a nation-best 298.9 yards rushing per game and punished the Bulldogs (5-8), a late replacement for Sun Belt champion Marshall.

“They responded from a very emotional and difficult loss (to Navy) two weeks ago with a great effort,” Army coach Jeff Monken said.

Army set an Independence Bowl record with a 21-play drive, going 75 yards in the second quarter to take a 21-3 lead. Daily scored on an 8-yard run to end the drive that had two third-down conversions and three fourth-down conversions.

“It felt like we were out there forever,” Reed said.

Drew Henderson made field goals of 27 and 44 yards for Louisiana Tech. Tru Edwards, who has entered the transfer portal, had eight catches for 92 yards.

Takeaways

Army: The Black Knights were able to wash away some of the “bad taste” that lingered from a loss to Navy two weeks ago.

Louisiana Tech: The Bulldogs hired a new offensive coordinator, Tony Franklin, after the regular season.

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Hoover passes for 4 TDs as TCU beats Louisiana-Lafayette in the New Mexico Bowl

Published

10 hours ago

December 29, 2024

Press Room

Hoover passes for 4 TDs as TCU beats Louisiana-Lafayette in the New Mexico Bowl

Josh Hoover passed for four touchdowns to help TCU beat Louisiana-Lafayette 34-3 on Saturday in the New Mexico Bowl.

Hoover was 20 for 32 for 252 yards with an interception. Eric McAlister had eight catches for 87 yards and a TD for the Horned Frogs (9-4).

TCU’s defense also had a solid day, holding Louisiana-Lafayette (10-4) to 209 yards, including 61 on the game’s final possession.

Ben Wooldridge was 7-for-20 passing for 61 yards for the Ragin’ Cajuns. He also threw an interception.

The Horned Frogs put together a fast start. Hoover found DJ Rogers for a 3-yard TD pass, capping an 11-play, 75-yard drive on the game’s opening possession.

After Lou Groza Award winner Kenneth Almendares missed a 54-yard field goal for Louisiana-Lafayette, TCU went right back to work.

McAlister’s 1-yard touchdown reception finished a 10-play, 63-yard drive and gave the Horned Frogs a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.

Kyle Lemmermann kicked two field goals and JP Richardson added a 20-yard touchdown reception as TCU opened a 27-0 halftime lead.

Takeaways

TCU: Two years removed from an appearance in the national championship game, the Horned Frogs turned in a strong performance after going 5-7 last season. They scored on their first four possessions against the Cajuns. and held a 27-0 halftime lead.

Louisiana-Lafayette: It was a rough afternoon for the Cajuns. Almendares made a 24-yarder in the fourth quarter to account for their only points.

UP NEXT

TCU opens the 2025 season Aug. 30 at North Carolina in coach Bill Belichick’s debut with the Tar Heels.

Louisiana-Lafayette opens at home against Rice on Aug. 30.

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Why did Marshall opt out of bowl game? Explaining Louisiana Tech’s Independence Bowl berth

Published

18 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Press Room

Why did Marshall opt out of bowl game? Explaining Louisiana Tech’s Independence Bowl berth

Army football is set to face Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl on Saturday night. It’s the second team the Black Knights have been slated to play this bowl season.

No. 18 Army (11-2) was originally slated to play Marshall after winning the American Athletic Conference, however, the Thundering Herd opted out of the bowl game, allowing for the Bulldogs (5-7) to reach the postseason despite not reaching the typical 6-win threshold.

Army, coming off a loss to arch-rival Navy, is looking to reach 12 wins for the first time in program history. Quarterback Bryson Daily, who finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting, had one of the best seasons ever for the Black Knights, scoring 38 total touchdowns with a team-leading 1,532 rushing yards.

There are numerous reasons as to why Army won’t be taking on Marshall, who went 10-3 this season and won the Sun Belt championship.

Here’s an explanation of Army’s opponent in the Independence Bowl on Saturday:

Why is Army playing Louisiana Tech instead of Marshall?

Marshall backed out of the Independence Bowl in wake of coach Charles Huff leaving for the Southern Miss job, which resulted in numerous Thundering Herd players entering the transfer portal.

Marshall simply was left with hardly a roster and no head coach, resulting in the opt out.

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported Louisiana Tech was selected as the replacement due to its Academic Progress Rate despite not reaching the 6-win bowl eligibility threshold. Dellenger added multiple 5-win teams had better APR than Louisiana Tech, however, were unable to commit to the game based on the short turnaround of the matchup after Marshall’s opt out.

Why did Marshall opt out of bowl game?

Marshall opted out of the game due to having a substantial number of players enter the transfer portal following Huff’s departure to Southern Miss.

The Thundering Herd had over 25 players enter the transfer portal, including all three of their scholarship quarterbacks.

“It is unfortunate that Marshall determined they won’t be able to compete in the bowl in a couple of weeks,” Independence Bowl executive director Missy Setters said in a statement. “Our goal was to create the best matchup possible for our local fans and college football fans throughout the country, and we think we did that with two conference champions. Moving forward we are very excited to host Louisiana Tech and are thrilled we found an opponent for Army.”

According to On3’s transfer portal database, Marshall has lost 45 players to the transfer portal this offseason.

Why is Louisiana Tech in Independence Bowl?

Louisiana Tech was the replacement for Marshall, who opted out of the Independence Bowl due to losing a large group of players to the transfer portal.

Louisiana Tech was then selected due to its Academic Progress Rate, despite not having the highest among 5-win teams. The Bulldogs (5-7) didn’t reach the 6-win bowl threshold, but were picked since there were no 6-win teams left to choose from.

Louisiana Tech’s APR was also not the highest among 5-win teams, but was selected after multiple teams in front of it in the pecking order couldn’t commit to the game with the short turnaround after Marshall’s opt out.

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