Mike Voisin’s Strong, Calm Voice for Gulf Seafood Goes Silent
FROM LOUISIANA SEAFOOD NEWS |Feb 2, 2013
by Ed Lallo/Louisiana Seafood News
At 10:38 am on what was a sunny Saturday morning, the mood darkened in southern Louisiana as the state and Gulf seafood industries lost one of their strongest voices. Michael C. Voisin, owner of Motivatit Seafoods and a current Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commissioner, died on February 2nd in intensive care from a massive heart condition while at Terrebonne General Hospital in his hometown of Houma.
Voisin, owner of one of Louisiana’s oldest and best known oyster-processing companies, was instrumental in founding the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board in 1984. He was an outspoken voice, supporting both the quality of Louisiana Seafood as well as the culture of its community.
The Three Amigos
“Mike died peacefully to the songs sung by family and friends,” said longtime close-friend Chris Nelson, vice president of Alabama Bon Secour Fisheries. “It was both a privilege and honor to be so close to Mike during his final hours.”
“Our friendship went beyond being in the seafood industry,” said Al Sunseri of New Orleans P & J Oyster Company. “Mike, Chris and I have been inseparable for as long as I can remember, so much so that we earned the nickname ‘The Three Amigos’. It is going to be hard not having Mike around to bounce ideas off of. We will sorely miss our amigo.”
Voisin, Sunseri and Nelson were instrumental in founding the Gulf Oyster Industry Council’s “Walk the Hill” more that 15-years ago. This year’s annual walk consisting of more than 30 Gulf coast participants was completed the day before Voisin’s death.
“It was a tragedy that Mike fell ill the day before he was scheduled to go to Washington,” said Nelson. “Everywhere we went on the hill, congressmen and senators asked how Mike was doing. Their offices contained Louisiana Seafood placards draped with a yellow ribbons to signify Mike’s ‘Gold Band Oysters’.”
From California to Louisiana
Born in Los Angeles, Voisin had lived in Louisiana for more than 38-years. He has owned Houma-based Motivatit Seafoods since 1971, and was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Voisin’s affiliations with organizations included; former chairman of the National Fisheries Institute, Louisiana Oyster Dealers and Growers Association, Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation, Southeastern Fisheries Association, Louisiana Seafood Processors Council, Gulf Oyster Industry Council and the Louisiana Oyster Task Force.
As a current commissioner, Voisin viewed the management of Louisiana’s wildlife and fisheries resources as critical to the economic and cultural heritage that is Louisiana.
He would often state “We are known around the world and country for our tremendous seafood and wildlife resources. It is critical that they are managed in a sustainable manner for our enjoyment today and future generations to come.”
A Calm Voice of Reason
“In this world of mediocrity in which we all must live, there are few men that stand out above the rest. Then there was Mike,” said former Louisiana Seafood Board chairman Harlon Pearce. “His caring for his fellow man, his undying love for his family as well as the industry he held so dear, made this world a better place. I know I am a better man because of him.”
“We went through so many issues and fought so many battles,” said Sunseri of his departed friend. “ He had the gift of keeping everyone together, even when things seemed to be falling apart.”
“I loved the way he conducted meetings, without losing his temper, no matter how many Type A personalities, such as mine, were in the room arguing over fish issues.” said Bob Jones, executive director of Southeastern Fisheries Association, in a Facebook post. “I loved the way that big, strong, articulate “Cajun” treated others in such a gentle, understanding and loving manner. I think most of all, in my own selfish way, how I cherished the way he made me feel when I was in his presence.”
According to Nelson, it is going to take a whole lot more than a few people to fill the shoes that Voisin has left empty. “Mike was so involved in so many groups and organizations, the void he has left will be hard to fill anytime soon.”
“Our whole department is so terribly saddened at the passing of Mike,” said Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries secretary Robert Barham. “On a daily basis, I relied on his extensive knowledge of the coastal environment and seafood industry. No one was more versed on seafood management. It will be virtually impossible to find someone that has the ability, the knowledge and the will to ensure Louisiana remains a leader in the seafood industry.”
“During the last 40 years, Mike Voisin has done more for the domestic seafood industry than any other individual,” said Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu. ”In addition to owning and operating Motivatit Seafood, he founded the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, served as chairman of the National Fisheries Institute, and volunteered his time and expertise to anyone who sought to promote and preserve Gulf Coast fisheries. Mike had a unique ability to not just listen, but to really hear what people were saying. His patience allowed him to find consensus when it appeared all but impossible. His faith gave him the vision to be the leader we knew and loved. His kindness and compassion left a lasting impression on everyone he met. Louisiana and the Gulf Coast have lost a true champion and a trusted friend in Mike Voisin.”
Giving Pointers from Above
Voisin was known for his ability to lead; be it family, church, community, state or industry.
“Mike led, that is what he did better than anyone,” said Ewell Smith, executive director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. “ He led with compassion, passion, sincerity and most of all love. We’ve lost a very, very dear friend.”
According to Smith who considered Voisin his mentor, “Our seafood community has lost an incredible leader. Our seafood community is where it is today because of Mike. It will continue to move forward because of all of his amazing efforts. We will miss him dearly and pray for his wonderful family.”
“One thing for sure, Mike was a leader while here on earth and we know he will continue to lead from above,” said Sunseri about his lost amigo. “I am confident that he will continue to send us messages to protect, not only the oyster industry, but the entire Louisiana and Gulf Coast seafood community that he worked so hard to serve, and loved so dearly.”
Black Drum -The Rodney Dangerfield of Louisiana Finfish – Finally Gets Some Respect
FROM LOUISIANA SEAFOOD NEWS | Nov 4, 2012
by Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
At times Douglas Olander feels he has built a living from the Rodney Dangerfield of the fish world, Black Drum– it just get no respect. Thirty years ago the Louisiana Black Drum, a fish that is found in near shore coastal waters, couldn’t be given away, let alone sold. Even when his wife Chrystel and he founded their fledging business in 2001, the market price for black drum was only around a half dollar a pound.
The Olander’s Big D Seafood wholesale and retail business has come a long way from those early beginnings.
“We started out with hardly nothing,” said the tall lanky fisherman dressed in white rubber boots and red rubber bib overalls. “In the beginning we worked as a “mom and pop” operation out of a pickup truck. We had to trailer our boat 25 miles to a Chevron station in Burns Point – all so we could go fish for a product not a lot of people wanted.”
Sitting 15 miles south of New Iberia just north of the Intercostal Canal at the Port of West St. Mary, Big D Seafood has evolved from the pickup truck into a full service commercial marina; with boat launch, crab and shrimp dockside sales, fuel, a small marina for commercial fishing boats, and of course the black drum landing operations.
“We are right in the middle of all the good fishing,” Oldander explained. We have Vermilion Bay, Atchafalaya Bay and the East and West Cote Blanche Bays all within easy reach of our boats.”
“Ninety-five percent of the fish that we catch and market is the black drum. It is a ground fish that feeds on oysters, clams and other shellfish.”
He admits that during the past 12 years he has come along ways with black drum. It is a firm fish almost identical to a red fish in texture and taste.
“A lot of people go boogaloo about the red fish,” Olander explained. “You would be surprised about the taste and texture of the black drum, it is almost the same taste, and some say it is even better.”
The black drum lays eggs in the coastal marsh, and can commonly be found within 15 miles of the coast, especially around oyster reefs. It is a menace to the fragile oyster beds.
“Oyster harvesters love to see our boats out fishing,” he said. “Often times they will yell over at me to make sure I fish their lease.”
According to Olander the yield in oyster leases where the black drum is fished is considerably greater because “it has a very strong jaw and heavy pharyngeal teeth in the back of their throat that they use to crush shells.”
Fishing for black drum is a very labor-intensive operation.
Olander and other fishermen use trout lines baited with small pieces of crab claws to hook the fish. These lines have between 75 to 150 hooks – each line baited by hand.
During the course of a year he will import two or more semis laden with crab claws from the east coast. “The love to bite into the crab claws, shell and all – they are just one tough fish.”
Louisiana imposes a 3 million pound quota on black drum, but to date that quota has never been reached. There are approximately 300 to 400 black drum fishermen within the state, 50 of which fish year round. “In the Vermillion Bay to Atchafalaya River area where I am, there are approximately 10 of us,” he said.
Fishing for black drum is a family affair for the Olanders, with son’s Corey and Seth helping in the family business. Big D seafood operates a fleet of three boats, and buys regularly from three to four independent fishermen.
A typical day’s catch is between 700 to 800 pounds per boat on an average day. The dock as devised a unique system for unloading onto scales.
Fishing boats are pulled from the water are trailered and with fish still onboard. The trailer is then towed by a John Deere tractor to the unloading dock where fish are sorted by size and tossed from the boat onto scales.
They are then loaded into heavy-duty cardboard packs that can hold up to 1500 lbs, covered with ice and wrapped in plastic. These packs are then shipped to processors around the state where they are filleted and sold to restaurants and consumers.
Size is everything for black drum. But unlike shrimp, smaller is better.
“We sell three sizes of fish,” he explained. “The most valuable is three to six pounds in size. Fishermen call them “blackie blacks”, but they are also known as “puppy drum.” These are the fish that end up on plates at New Orleans white cloth restaurants.”
During the course of the year price fluxuate greatly, partly because of what Olander sees as questionable practices by eastern Louisiana shrimpers. As the shrimp season slows during the winter months, a number of shrimpers around the mouth of the Mississippi use their nets to troll for black drum.
“Shrimpers using nets, that’s not really right,” he said a little perturbed. “We haven’t addressed this issue yet, but we definitely don’t like it.”
East Louisiana shrimpers can land as much as 30,000lbs within one day. This slammed the market for drum, dropping prices as much as $.30lb overnight. “If Big D Seafood would put one of these fishing trolls on one of our boats, it would be outlawed within one week,” he said.
Olander is looking closer to home for new opportunities for the fish he has built his business upon.
He is impressed with the new Louisiana Wild Caught certification program recently announced by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
The Delcambre Direct Seafood program has also caught his attention.
He is current exploring the possibility of direct local marketing of the fish through the program ran by the Port of Delcambre in cooperation with the Louisiana State University (LSU) Agricultural Center (AgCenter) and Louisiana Sea Grant.
“I think fish offers some great opportunity for the local market, because you get to sell the weight of the entire fish, said Thomas Hymel, of LSU AgCenter and Sea Grant. “Black drum is one of the only finfish in the Louisiana near coastal waters that is fished exclusively by commercial fishermen.”
“With the great job Delcambre Direect is doing with the shrimp, I think this is a natural next step for the program,” said Olander. “We need to step this up to the next level. There is not much advertising or marketing, so a lot of people are unfamiliar with the quality of this fish.”
Olander is already equipped and licensed to sell fresh off the docks. He has a processing room that is permitted to prepare the fish to customer’s specifications.
“My fish have a great shelve life, the eyes are shiny and the taste superb.”
“We are going to profile his operations on Delcambre Direct,” said Hymel. “Our interest is there is a definite demand for red fish here in the region. I feel that his operation and the fish is somewhat unknown. When we can make this fish easily available, I think there is a lot that can happen.”
During BP Oil Spill, “Don’t Forget the Fishermen”
FROM LOUISIANA SEAFOOD NEWS | May 28, 2010
by Ed Lallo/Newsroom Ink
As the Executive Director of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, Ewell Smith knows a picture is worth a thousand words.
One month after Hurricane Katrina crippled the Louisiana seafood industry Louisiana Gulf seafood had a clean bill of health, however it took more than two years to rebuild the brand.
”Since the first images of oil in the Gulf of Mexico appeared in the media, Smith has been experiencing a bit of déjà vu and working relentlessly to answer the two questions everyone are asking: Is the seafood safe? And, who’s fault is this?
We had a clean bill of health one month after Katrina, but it took two years to rebuild our brand.”
The world’s mainstream news media has been contacting Smith for comments. USA Today, NY Times, National Geographic, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal, NPR, PBS Newshour, Los Angeles Times, CNN, Fox Business, the Canadian Globe and Mail, The Associated Press and Reuters … the list goes on and on.
“You name it, we’ve talked to them. The BBC was just here.”
Not interested in playing the blame game, Smith and his team focus conversations on the clean up process and getting everyone back in business. “Recently, we had 80 chefs on a conference call, going over talking points so that we’re all talking on message.”
That message is that Louisiana Seafood is safe, and delicious too.
“Today, 70 percent of the coastline is open, and a significant proportion of the 30 percent is precautionary closures. Priority number one is the safety of consumers.”
Geographically, that’s a lot of territory – Louisiana has nearly 400 miles of coastline and more than 7,000 miles of tidal coastline.
Louisiana seafood is tested and monitored by multiple government and private institutions including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Services.
“When you are dealing with this much media you have to make sure to stay on point and not get too emotional.” Advice Smith may be giving to himself.
After Katrina, Smith wrote, composed, and recorded a song entitled Loving Louisiana. The newly revised final line – a talking point straight from the heart – “Don’t forget the fishermen.”
World Attention Focuses on Southern Louisiana after Deepwater Horizon Explosion
From Louisiana Seafood News| July 15, 2010
by Springfield Lewis/Newsroom Ink
The current challenges facing Louisiana fishermen, the seafood industry and the fragile wetlands along the state’s coast were the focus of a live broadcast from New Orleans to the world by BBC Radio’s program, “World Have Your Say,” hosted by BBC correspondent Robyn Bresnahan.
Reaching a global audience estimated at more than 190-million listeners, panelists included Ewell Smith of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board; Denise Reed, a professor at the University of New Orleans; celebrity chef and restauranteur John Besh; actor, humorist and writer Harry Shearer; Justin Barisich, son of a 3rd generation Louisiana fisherman; and Garland Robinette, well-known New Orleans radio personality.
Barisich said that watching what’s happening to his father, he’s not sure he will follow in his footsteps as a fisherman. “I don’t know how much longer he can last,” he said of his father.
Joycelyn Heintz, a Louisiana State University mental health worker, said programs are being set up to counsel and provide assistance to fishermen and their families during this crisis, the result of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Listeners from England, Nigeria and Alaska called with questions and comments. A man from Alaska said 21-years after the Exxon Valdez spill, areas of seafood production there have still not fully recovered.
Ewell Smith of Louisiana’s Seafood Board indicated a concern that it may take several years for the state’s renown seafood industry to recover from the current BP oil spill in the Gulf.
“We’ve been working with EPA, FDA, Department of Health and Hospitals, Department of Environmental Quality, NOAA fisheries, all those different health agencies are working collectively together, unprecedented levels of testing and so far the good news is nothing has come back showing any signs of any problems,” Smith underscored.
Soft-Spoken Fisherman Holds BP Responsible for Deepwater Horizon
FROM LOUISIANA SEAFOOD NEWS | June 19, 2010
by Springfield Lewis/Louisiana Seafood News
There was no Christmas in July for Santa Claus look alike and Lake Pontchartrain fisherman Frank Woolley who sits on his boat at the Bucktown dock, named after his grandfather Buck Wooley.
With his full snow-white beard, Frank Woolley has been known to scores of New Orleans children as Santa Claus. He gets into character as the jolly old man during the holiday seasons to help out events and charities. The rest of the year, Woolley fishes giant Lake Pontchartrain, north of the city, to make a living.
Woolley fishes alone “in a good little one-man boat … not very pretty,” he says, with a pure New Orleans draw. Now age 67, he’s been fishing to lake and nearby Gulf of Mexico waters around the mouth of the Mississippi River all his life … like his father and grandfather did before him. As soon as he learned to swim, he says, his mother allowed him to go out on the fishing boats. And, he hoped his son might follow the tradition.
Looking out on the open water of Pontchartrain, Woolley talks of his concern for the future. The Mississippi delta area with its tributaries and wetlands are a national resource, rich with wildlife, fish and shellfish. It is a critical breeding ground for much of the Gulf’s sea life … creatures Woolley is worried about because of weeks of unprecedented contamination by oil from BP’s runaway well 40 miles out in the Gulf.
He admits to not being an expert. But, at the same time, he knows the waters and marshes as only a southern Louisiana fisherman would … and, something’s not right, he believes, with delicate creatures and plant life being inundated by heavy crude oil.
Oil continues to spill from the sunken Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Woolley holds BP fully responsible, not only for destruction to wide areas of the formerly pristine fishing waters but also for ruining his career as a commercial fisherman. A quiet, soft-spoken man, it’s clear he is not happy and believes the oil giant should fairly compensate him for his boat and his inability to continue the work he’s loved for all his life.