Monroe business owner explains importance of buying local seafood

MONROE, La. ( KTVE/KARD ) — Louisiana lawmakers have started to crack down on imported seafood, which they say is detrimental to local businesses and can raise health concerns.

Louisiana’s seafood industry has an economic impact of $2.5 billion a year, and one in every 70 jobs relates to the industry. This is why seafood from foreign countries is getting another look by state and federal politicians.

The owner of Randall’s Captain Avery’s Seafood and Specialty Meats in Monroe, Randall Garvin, says that imported seafood is cheaper, but it is not the same seafood that you see coming from the Gulf Coast.

“You’re keeping your money in state, and it’s keeping our people on the Gulf Coast in business, and it’s just fresher seafood and better seafood,” Randall says when asked why people should buy local.

Pounds and pounds of uninspected foreign seafood are entering the country, but it is unclear what all of these shipments contain.

This can undercut the clean produce being provided by Louisiana fishermen, due to imported seafood being sold at a much cheaper price.

The following bills were passed by the Louisiana Legislature:

• Act 756 : Transfers Seafood Safety Task Force to the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism to study ways to improve safety of seafood.
• Act 667 : Every seafood processor has to get a commercial seafood permit.
• Act 787 : Increases the fees for imported seafood.
• Act 561 : Bans using imported seafood in school meals.
• Act 148 : Requires restaurants to label if they are using imported seafood

Lawmakers hope that allowing the FDA to get rid of harmful seafood will encourage the public to buy local, which will keep them safe.

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