Top Of The Catch

Louisiana was featured on MSNBC.com in an Associated Press story today about states ratcheting up the branding and marketing of their local seafood. The idea is to better inform consumers as to the quality and source of the seafood. The measures are hoped to increase demand for the products of local commercial fishermen. From the article:

In Louisiana, which produces about 130 million pounds of shrimp annually, officials hope to boost prices by branding the cream of the crop — about 20 million to 30 million pounds — with the help of a new quality-control program.

Shrimpers who agree to the stricter oversight will have their catch branded “Certified Louisiana Shrimp.” A ticket will follow each catch from boat to processing house. The state hopes to expand the program, designed to appeal to high-end consumers, to crabs and other fish.

“We’ve got to create a different market for our products,” said Harlon Pearce, chairman of Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. “It’s to help the fishermen first and foremost."

More here

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