Louisiana legislators pass bills for local seafood industry

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Memorial Day typically signals the start of summer for many across the U.S., but in South Louisiana, the holiday rings in something extra: the end of crawfish season and the start of inshore shrimp season.

For the influx of hungry customers at the Westwego Shrimp Lot, the vendors at the open-air market fully stocked up on the delicacy, including Amy’s Seafood.

“Fresh shrimp season just opened a few weeks ago, so we have shrimp all across our tables,” staffer Bridgette Wilson said.

The holiday sales are just a snapshot of the $2.4 billion that the Louisiana seafood industry rakes in each year, according to the LSU AgCenter.

But with the threat of imported, foreign seafood undercutting local fishermen’s prices, Louisiana lawmakers set out to pass legislation to keep the state’s crucial industry afloat.

State Rep. Tim Kerner, Sr. (R-Lafitte) introduced HB 857 this legislative session. The measure cracks down on co-mingling seafood, which is when a vendor, market or restaurant sells a product that is mixed with both domestic and foreign seafood.

Kenner’s bill requires that all co-mingled products have to be labeled as such, and if anyone is caught passing mixed seafood as fully, locally-caught seafood, there will be a $15,000 fine for the first offense, a $25,000 fine for the second offense and a $50,000 fine for the third.

“The best way would be to catch [co-mingling] at the processing plant, where they are doing millions of pounds of it,” Kerner said in front of the legislature.

While HB 857 waits for Governor Jeff Landry’s signature, he already signed HB 121 into law. It now allows the Agriculture Commissioner to seize and destroy illegal seafood, including improperly labeled products.

It was one of several bills from State Rep. Jessica Domangue (R-Houma) pushing for more transparency from the state’s seafood industry and stricter penalties for violators.

“We’re looking at combating bad actors at every level, from the dock to the fishermen, to the restaurant to the grocer,” Domangue said in front of the Louisiana House.

The measures are ones that Dave Williams, the founder of SeaD Consulting, supports.

For years now, Williams has led a team of scientists and testers that go to local restaurants and markets to see if the local seafood they are advertising were actually caught in Louisiana waters.

He said he supports the seafood bills coming out of the legislature this year since they provide more guidelines and oversight into the state’s industry and continues promoting local fishermen, dock workers and vendors.

“[The bills are] based on everything being authentic throughout the distribution chain,” Williams said. “I just want a leveled playing field, and I want people to enjoy what people come to Louisiana and live in Louisiana for.”

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