At left, Johnny Riley and Bryan Moore of the Louisiana Workforce Commission confer as Ewell Smith, right, of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board speaks to an attendee at a town hall with Mayor Mitch Landrieu. The meeting discussed the economic impact of the oil spill on the city of New Orleans. (Taylar A. Barrington/NYT Institute)

Louisiana must continue to emphasize the safety and quality of seafood in its marketing initiatives in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said at a town hall meeting Tuesday.

Meanwhile, other panelists advised business owners who were affected by the spill which financial records they might need in order to show how they were economically impacted.

The meeting at the Lindy Boggs Conference Center, attended by about 50 people, featured Landrieu and nine other panelists from different levels of government and British Petroleum. Area parish officials, including the Plaquemines Parish president, Billy Nungesser, also were present.

Ewell Smith, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, assured the audience that Louisiana seafood remains safe at the moment.

Yet Landrieu said people are already beginning to think the worst: During a recent visit to a northern state. Landrieu said he noticed a menu that said, “We do not sell Louisiana seafood.”

Landrieu said efforts to certify Louisiana seafood, starting with shrimp, were already under way before the oil spill. This would be similar to the way Angus beef is certified.

Other efforts, such as moving forward with participation in the Guinness Oyster Festival in Chicago this fall, have become even more important because of the potential long-term effects on branding of Louisiana seafood caused by the oil spill.

Louisiana is a $2.6 billion seafood industry, accounting for nearly one-third of seafood consumption in the U.S., according to the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.

Closing some zones to fishing was a precaution, Smith said, because of a Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals mandate.

“We have to prepare for the worst, but hope for the best,” he said.

Loretta Poree, public affairs officer for the U.S. Small Business Administration, encouraged affected business owners to be prepared by locating tax returns and keeping financial records current.

However, the uncertainty of national financial support had some commercial fishermen at the meeting wondering exactly how they should proceed.

Local crab fisherman Joe Royes said he usually stocks up on traps for crab fishing, but he fears spending all of the money he’s allocated for that. He said he and others are holding off on purchases of materials for fear they might be shut down because of the oil spill.

Having spent 60 percent of his budget for buying traps, Royes said he’s reluctant to spend the remaining 40 percent and end up getting shut down in a week or month because of the oil spills. “I want to file a claim,” he said.

The mayor said the national government must support the state and its fishermen.

“You’re welcome to eat off our plate, but pay your bill,” Landrieu said of the nation.

The White House is working with Congress to lift the oil spill liability cap from $75 million to $10 billion, and Landrieu predicted the change would be made.

Audience member Charles Pizzo, who recently returned after living in Dallas post-Katrina, said citizens must move back to help. He said he felt a sense of urgency in returning to New Orleans after hearing about the oil spill.

“We’ve had two man-made disasters that have really hurt New Orleans. Now I’m mad,” Pizzo said. “Now the people of New Orleans who moved away need to come back and help their city.”

“Seafood drives our restaurants, drives our economy, drives our tourism. It’s the flavor of Louisiana. It’s what makes people come here,” he said.

Landrieu agreed, noting, “We’ve been here before. We are masters of disaster, experts of pain.”

The mayor likened it to fighting an alligator while keeping an eye on the gorilla approaching.

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