Louisiana Fisheries

Louisiana Fisheries 2013
A Summit for the Louisiana Commercial Fishing and Seafood Industry
Towards professionalizing the Louisiana commercial fishing industry

Louisiana Fisheries 2013 will be held at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic center on Wednesday, February 27 and Thursday, February 28.

At the summit commercial fishermen, seafood dealers, and others will be able to learn about the latest updates, technologies, and programs concerning the Louisiana commercial fishing and seafood industry.

Specific topics to be covered at the summit include:

DAY 1

• Remembering Mike Voisin
• Fishing in Louisiana – then and now
• Economic status and trends of commercial fisheries
• Louisiana Sea Grant oyster hatchery program
• Louisiana Direct Seafood
• Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board update
• Legislative update
• Gulf of Mexico Fisheries Management Council program & outreach
• Sustainable seafood programs
• Louisiana wild seafood certification program
• LDWF seafood task forces
• Gulf Seafood Trace program
• Blue crab BMPs & research update

DAY 2

• Local brand development: the Vermilion Bay Sweet products
• Coastal ecotourism logistics and opportunities
• Skimmers observers program & TEDs update
• Starting a food business & selling your products
• Small business grant programs
• LDWF grant programs
• Marketing & social networks
• Friends of the Fishermen Foundation
• Fisheries/seafood industry updates
• Louisiana Seafood Academy training program
  > Producing safe & high quality seafood
  > Opportunities to control black spot in shrimp
  > Getting Louisiana shrimp to market
  > Marketing opportunities for seafood harvesters: Do you have what it takes?
  > Seafood labor challenges
  > Dock day introduction, overview, & discussion

Additionally, a “Dock Day” will be held on Friday, March 1 in Dulac and will feature on-board demonstrations of innovative handling and processing equipment/gear and techniques.

DOCK DAY

• Gear talk
• Equipment innovations
• Brine freezing best practices

Also, running concurrent to the conference will be on-site training for the “Certified Authentic Louisiana Wild Seafood” program, “trade” tables with fisheries & seafood industry resources, and informational posters & videos.

As you can see, this will be the premier educational and networking event for Louisiana commercial fishermen, seafood dealers, and others involved in the seafood industry. We will also be serving a buffet lunch on both days of the summit and a gumbo at the dock day.

This event is free and open to all who would like to participate. Space is limited though, so we are asking that all planning to attend to preregister. Here is the latest agenda.

Louisiana Fisheries 2013 is an excellent opportunity to get up-to-date on what’s happening in the commercial fishing and seafood industry and to network with others.