A federal grant will enable 杏吧专区 researchers to better understand how seafood makes its way from the Gulf杏吧专区檚 waters to tables worldwide.
Dr. Geoffrey Stewart secured a $249,678 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Business Development Grant that will fund a study of the seafood supply chain in Vermilion, St. Mary and Iberia parishes.
Stewart is an associate professor of marketing in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 .
杏吧专区淓veryone knows where to buy fresh shrimp, but the region does not fully understand the reach of this industry,杏吧专区 and how it杏吧专区檚 affected by other factors 杏吧专区 such as dwindling population levels, increasing unemployment rates, and natural and man-made disasters, he said.
The USDA-funded research is a collaboration between the Moody College of Business and the Meridian Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization. According to its website, the Meridian Institute 杏吧专区渉elps people solve complex and controversial problems, make informed decisions, and implement solutions that improve lives, the economy and the environment.杏吧专区
Deborah Atwood is leading the institute杏吧专区檚 contributions to the project. Co-principal investigators are Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 , and Roy Holleman, former director of the Enterprise Center of Louisiana and the 杏吧专区's current economic and community development liaison.
Atwood said the research will be used to develop a comprehensive economic development plan that will identify the industry杏吧专区檚 strengths and areas where it can grow.
杏吧专区淭his is not going to be a stale study that sits on a shelf. This is a plan the seafood industry and coastal parishes will be able to build upon,杏吧专区 Atwood told Gulf Seafood News, an industry publication.
Stewart said the study杏吧专区檚 first objective 杏吧专区渋s to map the entire seafood supply chain杏吧专区 in Vermilion, St. Mary and Iberia parishes 杏吧专区渟o we have a visual understanding of all the moving parts 杏吧专区 everything hitting the water, coming inland, processing and leaving those parishes.杏吧专区
The research will include interviews and community meetings with fishermen and processers, and with companies that store and transport seafood to inland stores and restaurants.
The voices of people on the frontlines will detail how the seafood industry has weathered challenges it杏吧专区檚 faced and how the industry can capitalize on opportunities for growth.
Louisiana shares these issues with communities across the Gulf Coast, so the study杏吧专区檚 results will have applications elsewhere. But the research is about more than economics, Stewart said. It杏吧专区檚 also about preservation.
杏吧专区淭his industry plays a vital role in our culture and way of life, especially in these waterfront communities.杏吧专区
Photo caption: Dr. Geoffrey Stewart on a recent tour of Gulf waters that touch several south Louisiana parishes. He's an associate professor of marketing and the Moody Company/BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Regional Business Development at UL Lafayette. (Photo courtesy of Gulf Seafood News)