US seafood industry hopes to avoid 'second gulf disaster'

07-Jul-2010 - Last updated on 08-Jul-2010 at 15:18 GMT

Related tags Gulf seafood Fish Louisiana

The US seafood industry is preparing to avoid “a second gulf disaster” by persuading Americans that seafood in general, and supplies from the Gulf of Mexico in particular, are safe to eat, according to the trade organization National Fisheries Institute (NFI).

Its spokesman told FoodNavigatorUSA.com that regional campaigns in Florida and Louisiana designed to promote (fresh and processed) sea food consumption from the Gulf could become national. “It’s possible that the regional campaign could become national as the industry seeks to avoid a second gulf disaster if the American public decided not to eat Gulf seafood or, even worse, seafood in general. There may be a need for it.”

Nelson Mongiovi, marketing director for Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services told St Peterburg Times: "Now we're trying to keep track of fast changing consumer buying trends, educate people about the safety of Florida seafood and anticipate what happens if the spill starts moving down Florida's west coast."

Commercial fishermen

Florida agriculture commissioner Charles Bronson commented on the state’s Agriculture Department website: “Despite the news images from the Gulf, Florida seafood is safe and ready to be enjoyed. The fresh catch from clean, unaffected Florida waters is coming in daily. Florida's commercial fishermen are in business, but we need you. “

BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 22 killing 11 crew and since then has spilled millions of gallons a day into the sea.

The effect on processed and fresh fish consumption has proved difficult to measure but early evidence suggests the disaster could cost the industry millions of $ in lost sales.

A survey of 924 Gulf of Mexico coastal residents conducted by Louisiana State University last month revealed that 99 percent of resident believed that the spill will have a major impact on the seafood industry. Also 57 percent said they would be less likely to buy seafood after the spill.

Another study from the University of Minnesota confirmed that half of all seafood buyers nationally say the spill changed their seafood buying habits. More than 41 percent have stopped buying any Gulf seafood and 31 percent have stopped buying all seafood since the spill.

National effects

The NFI spokesman said: “It’s too early to judge the precise national effects, but there does seem to be a ripple effect with reports of (fresh and processed) fish buyers feeling the pinch in terms of price and availability.”

Meanwhile Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services confirms that two-thirds of the gulf's US fisheries remain open to commercial fishing and are unaffected by the spreading oil spill. All of the state's east coast Atlantic fishing grounds are unaffected.

Only 2 percent of US seafood comes from the Gulf while 83 percent of seafood on American plates is imported, according to NFI.