HOUMA — BP is still refusing to pay for a testing and publicity campaign that could help resuscitate a faltering market for Gulf seafood, the head of the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said Tuesday in Houma. Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham also outlined serious concerns about the long-term implications of the oil spill on Gulf wildlife at a meeting of the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce at the Plantation Inn.
“I wish I could tell you that it’s been easy dealing with BP, but it’s not,” Barham said. “Deny, delay, defer. That’s the mode they’re in.”
Barham said BP has continually refused to pay for a $173 million long-term seafood safety and certification plan proposed by the state in May. The plan would pay for marketing to help battle public perception that Louisiana’s seafood isn’t safe and for testing and a quality certification program for seafood processing from catch to retail. Other states have reached seafood marketing and safety agreements with BP, but because Louisiana’s needs are “so big” they haven’t compromised on a smaller package, Barham said.
“Last year, if you went to a housewife in Nebraska and asked her, ‘Do you want shrimp from Singapore or the Gulf Coast?’ she would have immediately picked the Gulf shrimp,” Barham said. “Now, after she’s spent the summer watching footage of oiled pelicans on the news, she might rather that shrimp from Singapore.”
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