Louisiana shrimp in Afghanistan? It could happen, if Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has his way.

 

Mabus, who’s leading the Obama administration’s recovery efforts for the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill, wants all branches of the military to buy as much Gulf seafood as possible. This would be a challenge to the seafood industries in Alaska, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia and elsewhere.

 

The effort to help generate more business for the Gulf seafood industry comes as the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board is gearing up for a national campaign to convince restaurants it’s safe to consume fish and shellfish from the region. That campaign will be financed in part by a $30 million contribution from BP.

 

The Louisiana board also will be receiving $15 million from the Department of Commerce to distribute among local business organizations. Less than half of Gulf fishers have returned to their jobs since the oil spill.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Mabus Pushes Gulf Seafood (by Jonathan Tilove, New Orleans Times-Picayune)