(KMDL-FM) Louisiana’s Lieutenant Governor, Billy Nungesser, issued a response to an article recently published about several Baton Rouge-area restaurants selling and serving mislabeled shrimp. The article specifically mentioned Nungesser because of his close connection to Louisiana’s Seafood Industry and tourism.
Both of those industries are vital to Louisiana’s economic survival. In the article, the question was raised: Is the Lieutenant Governor’s office doing enough, or doing anything, to show support for Louisiana’s shrimping and fishing families?
Billy Nungesser Responds to Concerns About Mislabeled Shrimp in Louisiana
Before we share Lt Governor Nungesser’s response, let me recap what started the conversation. The Southern Shrimp Alliance hired SeaD Consulting to perform genetic testing on shrimp samples served at Baton Rouge area restaurants.
The Southern Shrimp Alliance represents shrimp fishermen, processors, and related businesses in Louisiana and the seven other warm-water shrimp-producing states. The reason for the testing was to verify which restaurants were serving American wild-caught shrimp, which restaurants weren’t serving American wild-caught shrimp, and, most importantly, which restaurants said they were serving American wild-caught shrimp but were, in fact, serving an inferior imported product.
For me, as a proud supporter of Louisiana agriculture and the many fishing families that harvest shrimp from the Gulf, the misrepresentation of American wild-caught shrimp was just too egregious not to bring up in a public forum. And yes, we challenged Lt. Governor Nungesser because he is in a position to do something.
Here is Lt. Governor Nungesser’s response:…