Saving Seafood

LOUISIANA: Menhaden Industry Steps Up for Local Communities in Wake of Hurricanes

September 22, 2025 — With the 20th anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita upon us, Louisianians are thinking back to that devastation and remembering all those who helped us get through those difficult times. When hurricanes batter the Gulf Coast, the menhaden industry—often seen only for its fishing fleet and processing plants—has taken on a different role: a committed neighbor ready to step up in times of crisis.

In September 2021, after Hurricane Ida tore through southeastern Louisiana, Omega Protein quickly mobilized relief for hard-hit Terrebonne Parish. The company delivered 550 gallons of gasoline, 3 pallets of water (252 cases), and a pallet of hand sanitizer from its plant in Abbeville to St. Joseph Church in Chauvin. Through social media, the company directed its followers to local charities to help get the community back on its feet. Company employees also partnered with relief organization Bayou Boys Community Helpers to distribute over 1,000 meals to residents who had been impacted by the hurricane in neighboring Lafourche Parish.

A year earlier, when Hurricane Laura devastated Cameron Parish with 150-mph winds, the destruction was staggering. In the days immediately after the storm, Omega Protein stepped in, despite having closed its Cameron facility in 2013.

Read the full article at NOLA.COM

Cancer Spreading Through Louisiana Waterways Could Be Eradicated By Mouth

March 2, 2022 — A silent and deadly cancer is spreading throughout the bayous and rivers of Louisiana; as well as Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri all the way to Illinois, Minnesota and the gates of the Great Lakes. Asian carp has overtaken the Mississippi River System threatening the ecosystem, as well as multi-million dollar recreational and commercial fishing industries.

“All our rivers and bayous are connected to the Mississippi, and they all have Asian Carp,” said Baton Rouge Chef Philippe Parola, who for more than 10-years has made it his mission to find a solution to the ever-widening problem.  “Our problem is nobody really cares and there is no way to eradicate them.”

These insatiable giants were first imported in the 1970s to remove algae from ponds, but were displaced by flooding and spilled into the waterways where they now crowd out favorites like catfish, shrimp and buffalo fish.

Eye On Asian Carp

The Bayou Chef has had his eye on the Asian carp situation since Hurricane Katrina and he is not been shy about expressing his frustration over the slow bureaucracy of addressing the serious threat to the ecosystem.  He feels it is imperative to be proactive in handling the problem and has come up with what he feels is a solution.

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood News

Double Disasters Leave An Alabama Fishing Village Struggling

August 19, 2015 — The people of Bayou la Batre, Ala., say you know their town by the four seasons.

“Shrimp, fish, crab and oyster,” says Stephanie Nelson Bosarge. “That’s your four seasons.”

Bosarge grew up here in a house less than a thousand feet from the water — one of nine kids, the fourth generation to work in the seafood industry.

Today all that’s left of the house is a concrete slab. Grass and weeds are creeping up over what’s left of the oyster run, where a conveyor belt once carried shells between the shuckers.

“This is living proof right here,” says Paul Nelson, Bosarge’s brother, “that the grass grows over and people forget about what was here, what was raised here, what was done here.”

The Impact Of Katrina

Hurricane Katrina sent nearly 14 feet of water into Bayou la Batre, inundating homes and businesses. Rebuilding was out of reach. Insurance paid off debt, but there wasn’t enough left to start again.

“Before Katrina, everything was a struggle. After Katrina, everything was impossible,” Bosarge says.

Read the full story at New York NOW