Gulf Coast Fisheries Initiative
The fisheries community in the Gulf Coast region has been decimated by repeated hurricanes as well as the April 2010 British Petroleum (BP) oil spill. In May 2008, Seedco Financial opened the Southeast Louisiana Fisheries Assistance Center in Belle Chasse, the first comprehensive one-stop facility for technical, business, and financial assistance for fisheries in the United States. The center also provides help with marketing development, translation services, and BP claims assistance.
Our Southeast Louisiana Fisheries Assistance Center has served hundreds of fishermen and other fishing industry workers since 2008, offering 124 loans totaling more than $6.6 million. Through this initiative, we offer these accompanying services as well as much-needed financing:
- We help small businesses package, analyze, and calculate claims. In addition, Seedco Financial offers an outreach program with in-office information sessions about the claims process.
- We produce the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Resource Guide, a regularly updated guide of organizations and services that provide support to businesses and individuals affected by the oil spill.
In addition, Seedco Financial was awarded a one-year $260,000 grant from the blue moon fund to implement Phase I of its Gulf Coast Fisheries Relief and Recovery Project to prepare commercial fisherman for the full impact of the BP oil spill. Specifically, with the support of the blue moon fund, we plan to:
- Conduct an economic investment opportunity study for the Greater New Orleans region that will analyze the structure of the region’s economy and project economic trends. The objective of this study is to provide data and analysis to guide Seedco Financial’s development and management of new opportunities to mobilize and focus resources.
- Maintain operations of the Southeast Louisiana Fisheries Assistance Center
- Provide assistance with claims packages
- Collaborate with other organizations to increase services offered to the fishermen, bait shops, dock owners, seafood processors, and others in the fishery industry
- Facilitate access to disaster recovery resources and intensive business continuity assistance.
For more information on the Gulf Coast Fisheries Initiative, please contact us at Louisiana@Seedco.org or call us toll-free at 877.296.8878.
