Essential Ice-Making Capacity Restored to Severely Impacted Louisiana Gulf Fishing Industry

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The Louisiana fishing industry today broke through a major obstacle to the resumption of full scale shrimp, crab and finfish operations: the near total absence of industrial ice-making capacity along the Gulf Coast. The occasion was marked by the dedication of the Southeast Louisiana Regional Ice Hub in a ceremony featuring Governor Kathleen Blanco, Secretary of La. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Dwight Landreneau, representatives from the La. Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, LSU Ag Center, La. Wildlife & Fisheries Foundation, and Shell Oil Company.

The Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005 caused $1 billion worth of infrastructure damage to the $2.3 billion Louisiana fishing industry. The Louisiana coast is home to three of the ten largest U.S. fishing docks, yet no federal funds have made it to the industry for infrastructure.

"The storm-related destruction of ice-making and ice storage capacity has been a significant obstacle to re-starting operations," said Ewell Smith, Executive Director of the La. Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. "Today is a major step toward getting the boats back on the water and keeping fishermen in the industry."

Ice is essential for preserving the catch on boats, at shore side facilities and during transport to market. For the last year, ice-making capacity for 100 miles of shoreline has been virtually non-existent. The regional ice hub is strategically located in Chalmette in order to serve fishermen in St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Orleans, and St. Tammany Parishes.

Many parties, including Shell, the La. Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board, the LSU Ag Center, and the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, have collaborated for months to bring the much needed ice to the coast.

"In May, we participated in a forum to address the importance of OCS revenue sharing to the sustainability of Louisiana," said Annell Bay, Vice President - Exploration, Americas Region for Shell Exploration and Production. "It was apparent that the coastal fishing industry was still in dire need of assistance, so we asked how we could help."

Shell donated $500,000 to the La. Wildlife & Fisheries Foundation to enable the purchase, delivery and installation of three industrial ice machines.

"All of us on the Gulf are neighbors. The fishing industry provides food and jobs; oil companies provide energy and jobs," said Frank Glaviano, Vice President - Production, Americas Region for Shell Exploration and Production. "Partnering with neighbors to help them rebuild makes good sense."

The arrival of the ice machine in St. Bernard Parish coincides with the start of white shrimp season. "White shrimp is a very important crop for our industry," said Smith. "Now that we have ice, we can assure the highest quality catch possible."

Details About the Ice Making and Storage Machines Donated by Shell

The state of the art ice machines have been supplied by Morris & Associates of Raleigh, North Carolina.

                         Location                        Capacity
  Machine #1     Chalmette, St. Bernard Parish       20 tons per day
  Machine #2     Chalmette, St. Bernard Parish       20 tons per day
  Machine #3     Cameron, Cameron Parish             20 tons per day


  Data On the Louisiana Seafood Industry*

Prior to the 2005 hurricanes, marine commercial and recreational fishing supported $2.3 billion in retail sales, 36,700 jobs, $598 million in salaries and wages, and generated $146 million in federal income tax revenue.

  Decrease in dockside revenue from individual fisheries during the period
  September through December, 2004 versus 2005

  FISHERY         Landings in    % difference   Value in $      % difference
                  pounds 2005      from 2004      2005            from 2004

  Blue crab        10,797,915        -25%       $5,926,153           -32%
  Menhaden         48,695,280        -78%       $1,675,026           -81%
  Other             3,076,600        -64%       $4,788,777           -47%
  saltwater
  finfish
  Shrimp           36,407,451        -28%     $49,7594,649           -20%
  Oysters           1,405,957        -68%       $3,977,011           -67%



  Decrease in vessel participation in fisheries during the period
  September through December, 2004 versus 2005

                      2004 Vessels      2005 Vessels      % Difference
                         6,431             3,321              -49%



  Decrease in the number of commercial trips during the period
  September through December, 2004 versus 2005

                      2004 Trips        2005 Trips        % Difference
                        95,855            38,637              -40%

* Source: Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries' Trip Ticket Program, 03/2006. Data are preliminary and subject to correction.