How were decisions made?

SCPDC proposed criteria to the FOF Board of Directors based on SCPDC’s past experience with the State Fisheries Program.

The FOF Board approved the following criteria:

• Using Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 2009 database, applications would be sent to all fishermen with minimum dockside value of $15,000 (which was intended on eliminating the part-time fishermen.)
• Using this value, approximately 2,500 applications were mailed in early November 2010.  The application included a survey which contained 12 questions.  Some of these questions were informational and some of them allowed SCPDC to eliminate the fishermen from consideration.
• Approximately 1,100 applications were received and posted into a new SCPDC FOF database.
• Using the survey responses, SCPDC removed respondents that stated that they “did not fish in an area affected by the oil spill” and respondents that participated in the Vessels of Opportunity program.
• The remaining applications were ranked by computer from lowest 2009 dockside value (minimum $15,000) to highest 2009 dockside value and the lowest 254 were paid $500 from donations made to the Friends of the Fishermen Fund.

Approximately 70 of the 2,500 applications were returned due to the post office not being able to deliver for a variety of reasons.  Many, but not all, were remailed as SCPDC’s staff attempted to phone and find new addresses.

(New Orleans, La.) November 5, 2010 – The Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board (LSPMB) joined officials with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the Office of Community Development (OCD) today to announce a partnership with the New Orleans Hornets to launch a Louisiana-only seafood concessions stand. Located inside the New Orleans Arena, the Louisiana Seafood Market will promote the state’s seafood industry while serving safe, quality commercial seafood caught in Louisiana waters.

“The Louisiana seafood stand at the New Orleans arena offers attendees a true taste of Louisiana. Whether it is a fan attending a Hornets game, or watching a performance by a world-renowned entertainer, the experience will be complete with flavorful dishes created from fresh Louisiana seafood,” said LSPMB Assistant Executive Director Rene LeBreton.

“The entire Hornets family is proud to support the Louisiana seafood industry and provide our fans at the arena with the freshest seafood straight out of the Gulf,” said Hornets President Hugh Weber.  “Through our partnership with the Office of Community Development, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, we are able to send the message to our fans and the entire community that Louisiana seafood is safe, fresh and back open for business.  The new Louisiana Seafood Market concession stand is just another way we can provide our fans with options for top-notch local cuisine as they cheer on the Hornets at the Hive.”

The Office of Community Development’s Disaster Recovery Unit worked closely with LDWF and LSPMB to secure $300,000 in funding from a Community Block Development Grant for the Louisiana-only seafood concessions stand to support the state’s fishing industry. In addition to the three-year agreement for the concessions stand, the Hornets have also committed to working with the state to promote Louisiana seafood with their fans, and in cities across the country as they travel to away games.

“This oil spill could not have come at a worse time for our fishing industry, which was still struggling to recover from the affects of four hurricanes in three years. It’s crucial that we continue to help rebuild and restore our fishing industry and communities by reinforcing the safety and quality of Louisiana seafood, both with our own residents and with those who join us at the arena from out of state,” said Office of Community Development Director Robin Keegan. “I’m incredibly grateful to President Weber and his staff for working to make this concession stand happen. It takes Louisiana companies purchasing Louisiana seafood to help rebuild our industry and our brand – the Hornets are playing an integral part in that today.”

“Louisiana’s fishing industry has battled back from four major hurricanes over the last five years only to face the challenges created by the BP oil spill,” said LDWF Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fisheries Randy Pausina. “We have seen a dramatic drop in the value of our seafood this year, and we have to address the industry’s issues now. This partnership is an exciting opportunity to support our fishermen and to help reinforce that Louisiana seafood is safe and healthy. We’re grateful to the Hornets for their incredible support of the industry, and I challenge everyone who comes to the arena to stop by the market for some of the safest, most delicious commercial seafood in the country.”

In addition to supporting the seafood industry through the Louisiana Seafood Market concession stand, the Hornets have teamed up with Chevron and several other corporate partners including Rouses Supermarkets, CVS pharmacies and Take 5 Oil Change to launch the “Believe in Blue” campaign which will serve to raise awareness and funds for the residents of communities affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, restore local coastal wetlands and help return the gulf’s water back to its original color—blue.  In the last month alone, the team has raised over $40,000 for Gulf Coast restoration.

All proceeds raised through the entire “Believe in Blue” campaign will benefit the Friends of the Fisherman fund, the officially endorsed fund of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board created to help Louisiana’s fishermen, America’s WETLAND Foundation, established to preserve Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, and Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans.  All funds will be collected and distributed through the United Way.

Top Chef Masters Marcus Samuelsson of C-House (166 East Superior) and Guest Chef Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia (980 North Michigan) will co-host a special evening at C-House on Monday, September 27^th at 6 p.m.

This sit-down dinner will showcase Marcus and Tony’s favorite home cooked dishes, featured in their respective cookbooks, New American Table and Wine Bar Food, followed by a dessert reception where guests can interact with the Chef’s and have cookbooks signed by two of Chicago’s Top Chef Masters.

To add to the family style ambiance,  large format craft beers from Goose Island Brewery will be served.

A portion of the proceeds from this dinner will benefit Friends of the Fisherman, www.friendsofthefisherman.org

“Friends of the Fisherman, www.friendsofthefisherman.org, the officially endorsed fund of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board created as a way to help Louisiana’s fishermen in their greatest time of need.”

CBS Early Show Video: Proclaiming Gulf Seafood is SAFE! & then shows the nation how to have a crab and shrimp…

Shrimpers, oystermen say seafood is safe

August 19, 2010 Washington, DC – Three members of the Gulf seafood community testifying before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment told legislators today they still eat Gulf seafood and “feed it to [their] families.”

In response to questions from the Subcommittee chair, Rep. Edward Markey, Mike Voisin of Motivatit Seafoods, Acy Cooper Jr. of the Louisiana Shrimp Association and Dean Blanchard of Dean Blanchard Seafoods all said they eat Gulf seafood and are confident of its integrity.

“The seafood is wholesome and safe and I want Americans to know that,” said Voisin.

“We’re not gonna sell ‘em nuthin’ I wouldn’t eat myself,” said Blanchard.

The shrimpers and oystermen said they we confident enough in their product to not only sell it to consumers but serve it to their own families.

The hearing included testimony from Federal regulators including the Food and Drug Administration, whose acting deputy director at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Donald Kraemer, said, “We are confident that the program FDA has put together is sufficiently protective… [Gulf seafood] is essentially at the same level of safety as it was before the spill.”

In his testimony Voisin noted, “NOAA and the FDA have collected 5,658 specimens, and NOAA reports that all of its samples have been at least 100 to 1,000 times below the threshold level of concern, so these samples are not just passing – they are passing with a huge margin of safety.”

Voisin is the former Chairman of the National Fisheries Institute and this is his second time testifying before congress since the Gulf oil spill.

For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com.