Louisiana may slap a label on catfish

A Louisiana legislator wants restaurants and groceries to tell you whether that fried catfish you’re eating came from Louisiana or another country. Rep. Noble Ellington of Winnsboro’s Louisiana Catfish Marketing Law faces its first review today in the House Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Aquaculture, and Rural Development. The bill would require anyone selling or advertising catfish to label it by its country of origin. Any catfish advertised as domestic would need to seek the Louisiana Department of Agriculture’s seal of approval. The bill also gives the Commissioner of Agriculture the right to inspect establishments to ensure they are complying with the law, as well as the right to test the fish. Those who break the law face fines or suspension of their license. Ellington says former Ag Commissioner Bob Odom pushed for the law after a Baton Rouge judge ordered him to stop seizing seafood and testing it for antibiotics because he didn’t have the legal authority to do so. “We’re not trying to do anything to hamper business,” Ellington says. “But we are doing something to encourage U.S. business.” – PF