A federal grant will enable 小蝌蚪APP researchers to better understand how seafood makes its way from the Gulf小蝌蚪APP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小蝌蚪APP檚 .
小蝌蚪APP淓veryone knows where to buy fresh shrimp, but the region does not fully understand the reach of this industry,小蝌蚪APP and how it小蝌蚪APP檚 affected by other factors 小蝌蚪APP 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 小蝌蚪APP渉elps people solve complex and controversial problems, make informed decisions, and implement solutions that improve lives, the economy and the environment.小蝌蚪APP
Deborah Atwood is leading the institute小蝌蚪APP檚 contributions to the project. Co-principal investigators are Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 , and Roy Holleman, former director of the Enterprise Center of Louisiana and the 小蝌蚪APP'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小蝌蚪APP檚 strengths and areas where it can grow.
小蝌蚪APP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,小蝌蚪APP Atwood told Gulf Seafood News, an industry publication.
Stewart said the study小蝌蚪APP檚 first objective 小蝌蚪APP渋s to map the entire seafood supply chain小蝌蚪APP in Vermilion, St. Mary and Iberia parishes 小蝌蚪APP渟o we have a visual understanding of all the moving parts 小蝌蚪APP everything hitting the water, coming inland, processing and leaving those parishes.小蝌蚪APP
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小蝌蚪APP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小蝌蚪APP檚 results will have applications elsewhere. But the research is about more than economics, Stewart said. It小蝌蚪APP檚 also about preservation.
小蝌蚪APP淭his industry plays a vital role in our culture and way of life, especially in these waterfront communities.小蝌蚪APP
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)