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Essential
Ice-Making Capacity Restored to Severely Impacted Louisiana Gulf
Fishing Industry
August
23, 2006
New Orleans,
La. — The Louisiana fishing industry today broke through
a major obstacle to the resumption of full scale shrimp, crab
and finfish operations: the near total absence of industrial ice
making capacity along the Gulf Coast. The occasion was marked
by the dedication of the Southeast Louisiana Regional Ice Hub
in a ceremony featuring Governor Kathleen Blanco, Secretary of
La. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Dwight Landreneau, representatives
from the La. Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, Louisiana
Sea Grant College Program, LSU Ag Center, La. Wildlife & Fisheries
Foundation, and Shell Oil Company.
The Gulf Coast
hurricanes of 2005 caused $1 billion worth of infrastructure damage
to the $2.3 billion Louisiana fishing industry. The Louisiana
coast is home to three of the ten largest U.S. fishing docks,
yet no federal funds have made it to the industry for infrastructure.
“The
storm-related destruction of ice-making and ice storage capacity
has been a significant obstacle to re-starting operations,”
said Ewell Smith, Executive Director of the La. Seafood Promotion
and Marketing Board. “Today is a major step toward getting
the boats back on the water and keeping fishermen in the industry.”
Ice is essential
for preserving the catch on boats, at shore side facilities and
during transport to market. For the last year, ice-making capacity
for 100 miles of shoreline has been virtually non-existent. The
regional ice hub is strategically located in Chalmette in order
to serve fishermen in St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Orleans, and St.
Tammany Parishes.
Many parties,
including Shell, the La. Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board,
the LSU Ag Center, and the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program,
have collaborated for months to bring the much needed ice to the
coast.
“In
May, we participated in a forum to address the importance of OCS
revenue sharing to the sustainability of Louisiana,” said
Annell Bay, Vice President – Exploration, Americas Region
for Shell Exploration and Production. “It was apparent that
the coastal fishing industry was still in dire need of assistance,
so we asked how we could help.”
Shell donated
$500,000 to the La. Wildlife & Fisheries Foundation to enable
the purchase, delivery and installation of three industrial ice
machines.
“All
of us on the Gulf are neighbors. The fishing industry provides
food and jobs; oil companies provide energy and jobs,” said
Frank Glaviano, Vice President – Production, Americas Region
for Shell Exploration and Production. “Partnering with neighbors
to help them rebuild makes good sense.”
The arrival
of the ice machine in St. Bernard Parish coincides with the start
of white shrimp season. “White shrimp is a very important
crop for our industry,” said Smith. “Now that we have
ice, we can assure the highest quality catch possible.”
Details
About the Ice Making and Storage Machines Donated by Shell
The state of the art ice machines have been supplied by Morris
& Associates of Raleigh, North Carolina.
| |
Location |
Capacity |
| Machine
#1 |
Chalmette,
St. Bernard Parish |
20 tons
per day |
| Machine
#2 |
Chalmette,
St. Bernard Parish |
20 tons
per day |
| Machine
#3 |
Cameron,
Cameron Parish |
20 tons
per day |
Data
On the Louisiana Seafood Industry*
Prior to the 2005 hurricanes, marine commercial and recreational
fishing supported $2.3 billion in retail sales, 36,700 jobs, $598
million in salaries and wages, and generated $146 million in federal
income tax revenue.
| Decrease
in dockside revenue from individual fisheries during the period
September through December, 2004 versus 2005 |
FISHERY
|
Landings
in pounds 2005 |
%
difference from 2004 |
Value
in $ 2005 |
%
difference from 2004 |
| Blue crab
|
10,797,915 |
-25% |
$5,926,153 |
-32% |
| Menhaden |
48,695,280 |
-78% |
$1,675,026
|
-81% |
| Other saltwater
finfish |
3,076,600
|
-64% |
$4,788,777 |
-47% |
| Shrimp |
36,407,451 |
-28% |
$49,7594,649 |
-20% |
| Oysters |
1,405,957 |
-68% |
$3,977,011 |
-67% |
| Decrease
in vessel participation in fisheries during the period September
through December, 2004 versus 2005 |
| 2004 Vessels |
2005 Vessels |
% Difference |
| 6,431 |
3,321 |
-49% |
| Decrease
in the number of commercial trips during the period September
through December, 2004 versus 2005 |
| 2004 Trips |
2005 Trips |
% Difference |
| 95,855 |
38,637 |
-40% |
* Source:
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Trip Ticket
Program, 03/2006. Data are preliminary and subject to correction.
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