A resolution showing support for the Louisiana oyster industry was passed unanimously by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission at their monthly meeting today.
The resolution was in response to recent written notice by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stating their intent to require all gulf coast oysters undergo a bacteria-reducing treatment called Post-Harvest Processing (PHP) during the months of April through October beginning in 2011.
"LDWF is committed to supporting our oyster industry and it is my hope that the state can work with the FDA to arrive at a satisfactory resolution," said LDWF Secretary Robert Barham. "Louisiana is the number one producer of oysters in the U.S. and our department, along with Louisiana's oyster harvesters and processors, plans to continue this trend of providing safe, bountiful oysters."
Over the past decade, state and federal regulatory officials (including FDA) have worked together with input from the shellfish industry throughout the country, including the Louisiana oyster industry, through the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC) to develop and implement a management plan containing stringent harvest, handling and processing requirements aimed at reducing Vibrio vulnificus bacteria levels in oysters. This bacterium, which is naturally-occurring in Gulf waters and is not associated with pollution, has been reported as the cause of approximately 15 deaths in the United States each year, mostly in individuals having immune system deficiencies.
The ISSC-developed plan, called the Vibrio vulnificus Management Plan, most notably requires that Louisiana's oysters be placed under refrigeration within five hours of harvest during the warmer months. In Louisiana, harvest areas are oftentimes a several-hour boat ride from the docks, so the current plan already places difficulties on many oyster harvesters. These requirements have resulted in many members of the Louisiana oyster industry investing tens of thousands of dollars in on-vessel refrigeration units in order to comply with the plan. The FDA's notice indicated that they are parting with this agreed-upon plan indicating that they believe the plan does not go far enough in protecting public health, and that they will be implementing more-restrictive measures that require all oysters during these months be post-harvest processed (PHP).
Louisiana currently has three oyster processing companies that provide PHP services, and those will likely not have the capacity needed to treat all oysters regularly harvested during these months. Therefore, such a new requirement by FDA may result in local harvesters having no place to sell their catch.
The resolution passed by the commission formally disagrees with FDA's intent to require PHP of gulf coast oysters and formally requests the FDA to reconsider their actions on this issue. It also instructs the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to work closely with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Louisiana oyster industry to find a workable solution that lessens the burden of such regulations on the oyster industry while also protecting public health.
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10-29-2009, 04:50 AM
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