A preseason seafood meeting for mariners, boat owners, dock managers and seafood processors will be held Tuesday at the LSU AgCenter office at 1105 W. Port St. in Abbeville.
The meeting, organized by the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant, will begin with registration at 8:15 a.m. and end with lunch sponsored by the Louisiana Fisheries Forward Program. The meeting will focus mainly on shrimp issues, but all commercial fishers are welcome to attend.
U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul Thomas of District 8 will present the Meritorious Public Service Award to two local business owners for their help with the rescue of four commercial fishers on Sept 18, 2018.
Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in an interactive safety training exercise conducted by the Coast Guard, AgCenter and Sea Grant.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will provide details on an artificial reef project, and enforcement agents will answer any regulatory questions.
Members of the Coast Guard also will talk about fueling procedures, oil spill reporting and sampling, and safety issues. Coast Guard personnel will be there to explain why certain regulations exist and how they actually protect the environment and ensure the safety of fishers.
The National Marine Fisheries Service will have a turtle excluder device demonstration and answer questions on installing and tuning a TED to minimize shrimp loss. Attendees can also arrange for their TEDs to be inspected to be sure they are in compliance before shrimping.
Robert Twilley, executive director of Louisiana Sea Grant, will discuss future changes in the seafood industry.
The Louisiana Fisheries Forward program, a partnership between Wildlife and Fisheries and Louisiana Sea Grant, will have an update on value-added marketing and processing, seafood quality and shipping.
Abbeville General Hospital will offer free health screenings before the meeting starts and during the break.