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Now will come the hard part, experts say: getting people to actually buy what comes out of those waters.
Ewell Smith, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing board, believes the months of live footage of oil spewing into the ocean have created a big hurdle for gulf seafood to surmount. In June, shrimp landings throughout the gulf were down nearly half from the same period in 2009, and not just because of water closings. Public fear over gulf seafood safety has depressed demand across the country, and Smith is afraid that it will take a lot longer to rebuild sales than it did for them to drop.
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"We need to literally bore the people to death with good news. And it's going to take us years and millions of dollars," he told AOL News. "You can't compete against all those images, that's all it is."
Smith has been studying the Alaskan seafood industry, which he says took five years and millions of dollars to repair its image after the Exxon-Valdez oil spill in 1989. He's also had his own experiences recovering from disasters closer to home: during his 10-year tenure, he's had to deal with hurricanes Ike, Gustav, Rita and, of course, Katrina.
As important as it will be for authorities like NOAA and the FDA to keep reassuring the public about the safety of gulf seafood, that won't be enough. After Katrina, celebrity chefs from Louisiana and across the country lent their influential voices to support the industry. Smith is hoping to marshal similar support this time around.
He has a valuable new tool for disseminating information as well. Looking to tap the power of social media, Smith says he's working on a "Facebook Fridays" program with residents of the state posting and tweeting about their gulf seafood meals in an effort to get their friends across the country excited about Louisiana shrimp and crawfish.
There's also a flip side to the three months of headlines about the oil-streaked gulf: They've engendered nationwide sympathy for the region. In a strange way, the oil spill may actually make the Louisiana seafood brand stronger over the long haul. Processors and producers have been struggling for years as cheap Asian imports have been depressing their prices, and they were trying to distinguish their products well before the spill. Now that the catastrophe has firmly planted the phrase "gulf seafood" into the popular consciousness, the challenge is no longer about creating recognition, but about changing perceptions.
Perhaps, as they saying goes, any publicity will eventually turn out to be good publicity for those who make a living off the gulf catch.
Earlier in AOL News:
Gulf Oil Spill
A crew member looks out at the California Responder oil skimming vessel from the deck of the Pacific Responder in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana Monday, July 12, 2010. The vessels sailed from their home ports in California to the Gulf of Mexico to assist in the containment of oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon oil well. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Vessels assisting in the containment of oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil well leak are seen from the Pacific Responder oil skimming vessel in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana Monday, July 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Crew members connect a hose to an intake for recovered oil while preparing for skimming operations on the Pacific Responder oil skimming vessel in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana Monday, July 12, 2010. The vessel sailed from its home port in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Gulf of Mexico to assist in the containment of oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon oil well. It arrived near the leak site this morning and is awaiting orders from on-water coordinators. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
The New Jersey Responder oil skimming vessel is seen on the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana Monday, July 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Senior master responder Jeff Bramlett walks past rolled-up oil booms while preparing for oil skimming operations on the deck of the Pacific Responder oil skimming vessel in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana Monday, July 12, 2010. The vessel sailed from its home port in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Gulf of Mexico to assist in the containment of oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon oil well. It arrived near the leak site this morning and is awaiting orders from on-water coordinators. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Supervisor Wade Falany handles an oil suction hose while preparing for skimming operations on the deck of the Pacific Responder oil skimming vessel in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana Monday, July 12, 2010. The vessel sailed from its home port in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Gulf of Mexico to assist in the containment of oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon oil well. It arrived near the leak site this morning and is awaiting orders from on-water coordinators. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
In this image taken from video provided by BP PLC, oil flows from the top of the transition spool at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Monday, July 12, 2010. Deep-sea robots swarmed around BP's ruptured oil well Monday in a delicately choreographed effort to attach a tighter-fitting cap that could finally stop crude from gushing into the Gulf of Mexico nearly three months into the crisis. (AP Photo/BP PLC) NO SALES
Deck hand Martin Mayorga carries netting while preparing for skimming operations on the deck of the Pacific Responder oil skimming vessel in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana Monday, July 12, 2010. The vessel sailed from its home port in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Gulf of Mexico to assist in the containment of oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon oil well. It arrived near the leak site this morning and is awaiting orders from on-water coordinators. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Supervisor Wade Falany handles a rope while preparing for oil skimming operations on the deck of the Pacific Responder oil skimming vessel in the Gulf of Mexico near the coast of Louisiana Monday, July 12, 2010. The vessel sailed from its home port in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Gulf of Mexico to assist in the containment of oil leaking from the Deepwater Horizon oil well. It arrived near the leak site this morning and is awaiting orders from on-water coordinators. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
In this image taken from video provided by BP PLC, the new containment cap, left, is lowered toward the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, right, as a remotely operated vehicle operates in between the two in the Gulf of Mexico, Monday, July 12, 2010. Deep-sea robots swarmed around BP's ruptured oil well Monday in a delicately choreographed effort to attach a tighter-fitting cap that could finally stop crude from gushing into the Gulf of Mexico nearly three months into the crisis. (AP Photo/BP PLC) NO SALES
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