DULAC, LA – Governor Jeff Landry announced Tuesday an emergency response to the latest Gulf oil spill, unveiling a plan to relocate most of Louisiana’s seafood population to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, where officials say conditions are “noticeably less saturated with oil.”
Standing beside a map comparing crude concentrations, Landry explained that while the Gulf remains “a vital natural resource,” the reserve currently offers “a more controlled oil environment” for displaced seafood.
“We’re not abandoning the Gulf,” Landry said. “We’re just giving shrimp a temporary upgrade to a federally managed oil setting with currently lower petroleum levels than the the Gulf.”
State biologists confirmed early tests show fish and shrimp are already “performing better than expected” in storage tanks, with some reportedly “blending in seamlessly.”
Fishermen expressed cautious optimism, though several noted concerns about future labeling requirements, including whether the catch will now be classified as seafood, energy product, or both.
Tuesday, officials were drafting new labeling guidelines insisting that Louisiana shrimp stored in petroleum tanks are still safer than the ones imported from China.
