News Release Distributed 02/22/13

BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Direct Seafood Academy will be held in February, March and April across coastal Louisiana with a series of programs focusing on marketing techniques, improving product quality, safety and getting new business.

Sponsors are Louisiana Sea Grant and the LSU AgCenter.

The events include training meetings with classroom sessions and dock days for hands-on demonstrations. The dates are:

– Feb. 27-28, a training meeting at the Houma Civic Center.

– March 1, a dock day at David Chauvin Seafood, 8238 Grand Caillou Road, Dulac.

– March 5-6, training meeting at the Shrimp Festival Building in Delcambre.

– March 19, a dock day at the North Pier Dock in Delcambre.

– March 20, training meeting in Venice at the public dock.

– April 9, training meeting for Cameron and Calcasieu Parish, location not yet determined.

These events will include demonstrations from the U.S. Coast Guard, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Louisiana Seafood Promotion Board, Nature Conservatory and local providers.

The Louisiana Seafood Academy is held annually before the spring shrimp harvest to provide commercial fishermen an opportunity to learn about new technology and industry research at no charge. Its partner program, Louisiana Direct, is a marketing program centered on a suite of websites found online at http://louisianadirectseafood.com.

This marketing initiative connects regional fishers with consumers for dockside sales in Delcambre, Lafourche/Terrebonne, the South Shore of New Orleans and Cameron Parish.

Consumers benefit from receiving fresh, high-quality seafood, and fishermen are able to establish a retail customer base interested in purchasing their fish, shrimp, crabs and other seafood direct from the fishers.

Topics at the upcoming training events will vary based on local needs but will address brine freezing techniques, micro-branding opportunities, eco-tourism business options, Coast Guard safety information, using the Internet and social media and other current topics.

“Each topic will be addressed in a brief lecture or presentation with additional follow up by examples of people who are putting these ideas into practice in the industry,” said Thomas Hymel, marine agent with the LSU AgCenter and Sea Grant. “The programs will be informative and interactive and will include demonstrations as well as videos and photos.”

For more information on the Seafood Academy or Louisiana Direct, contact the appropriate regional agent:

– Cameron and Calcasieu parishes – Kevin Savoie, ksavoie@agcenter.lsu.edu or (337) 660-8519.

– Delcambre/Vermilion Bay – Thomas Hymel, thymel@agcenter.lsu.edu or (337) 276-5527 or Mark Shirley, mshirley@agcenter.lsu.edu or (337) 898-4335 or Thu Bui, tbui@agcenter.lsu.edu or (337) 828-4100 ext. 300.

– Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes – Alan Matherne, amatherne@agcenter.lsu.edu or (985) 873-6495 or Julie Falgout, jfalgout@agcenter.lsu.edu or (985) 856-2477.

– New Orleans/South Shore – Twyla Herrington, therrington@agcenter.lsu.edu or (504) 858-9826, or Albert Rusty Gaude’, agaude@agcenter.lsu.edu or (504) 736-6519.

Bruce Schultz