Multiple frustrations for La. seafood reps

Representatives of Louisiana’s seafood industry say they are being hurt by false public perceptions about safety, as well as by a slow-moving federal inspection program that’s keeping safe waters closed to fishing. The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board met today in New Orleans, and members expressed interest in working with a professor in food science from the University of Florida. Steve Otwell, the Florida professor, is working on a program to enhance and promote seafood safety practices that processors already use. Otwell says the idea is to make sure the public knows that gulf seafood is coming from government-approved waters and that processes are in place to ensure seafood is safe before it is sold.