NEWSROOM
Shrimp
Trade Action Advisory Council to Meet
January 28, 2005
The Louisiana Wild
Caught Shrimp Trade Action Advisory Council will meet Wednesday,
February 2, at 10:00 a.m. in the Louisiana Room at the Department
of Wildlife and Fisheries building in Baton Rouge. In an effort
to assist trade action efforts targeting the illegal dumping of
foreign shrimp into U.S. markets, Governor Kathleen Blanco issued
Executive Order KBB 2004-05 that reestablished the Louisiana Wild
Caught Shrimp Trade Action Advisory Council.
The council's duties
include supporting and assisting a trade action brought by a consolidated
wild caught shrimp industry, exploring and developing funding
sources and mechanisms to assist and support such trade action,
and recommending proposed legislation to fund the trade action.
Council members are
appointed by the Governor and include shrimp industry representatives,
state legislators and representatives from the Governor's Office
and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
According to Council
Chairman John Roussel, Assistant Secretary of the LDWF, the wild
caught shrimp industry is an integral part of Louisiana's history
and culture as well as a major component of the state's economy
providing employment and tax revenue to the state. According to
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), preliminary landings
statistics indicate that Louisiana shrimp landings through November
2004 totaled approximately 77.85 million pounds (all species combined/heads-off
weight) and comprised 56.5 percent of total Gulf of Mexico shrimp
landings. Although dockside prices continue to be impacted by
foreign shrimp imports, Louisiana shrimp landings for the year
are on pace to become the third highest on record. Annual landings
in 1986, 2000 and 2001 totaled 93.7, 92.2 and 79.1 million pounds,
respectively.
EDITORS: For more information,
contact Martin Bourgeois at (985) 594-4130 or mbourgeois@wlf.louisiana.gov.
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