As president of Tideland Seafood Company, Inc. in Dulac, Alan Gibson (holding pen) is one of only two returning members of the previous Board. Photo: Ed Lallo/Louisiana Seafood News
by Susan Burnell/Louisiana Seafood News
Alan Gibson’s family seafood processing business goes back four generations. Gibson, appointed by the governor to represent the interests of the American Shrimp Processors Association, looks to do what’s right for the shrimp industry he represents on the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.
As president of Tideland Seafood Company, Inc. in Dulac, he is one of only two returning members from the previous Board.
Representing an Industry He Knows Well
It’s an industry he understands well, from harvest to market. Gibson’s great grandfather originally dried shrimp for export in the early 1920s. In 1938, he founded the Buquet Canning Company and began canning shrimp, Gibson explained.
Based in Dulac, La, Tideland Seafood buys shrimp directly from fishing boats at their docks. They then sort and package the shrimp for distribution. Photo: Paul Goyette/Flickr
“His son, my grandfather, added canned oysters to the product line in 1953 and began to expand the company fleet of both shrimp and oyster boats. However, the same pressures we’re seeing today — higher operating costs and cheaper imports in the marketplace — caused the family to close the cannery in 1972. With the offloading dock and vessel operations left, my father began processing headless shrimp into the frozen block product we still pack today.
Growing up in the family business that owned its own harvest fleet meant that most of Gibson’s summers were spent between the processing plant and the decks of the harvest vessels.
“That background gives you a real understanding of what it takes to get a product from the water to the market, and too often this part of the equation is forgotten,” Gibson said.
Bringing the Ideas of the Waterfront to the Board
“This is where the marketing board can come into the game and work with distributors and retailers, and educate consumers about the quality and wholesomeness of the seafood we produce from our waters. We must always remember that the supply chain starts with the harvester, and to continue to supply a quality product, the entire supply chain must be profitable. My main focus is to bring the ideas and concerns of the waterfront to the board and assure them that they do have a voice at the table that will be heard. Without communication, one is not represented.”
During the Seafood Board’s Legislative Day in Baton Rogue, Gibson helps educate legislators on the importance of a strong seafood community for the state. Photo: Ed Lallo/Louisiana Seafood News
Until his appointment to the Louisiana Seafood Board, Gibson had avoided any kind of political position. “Yet our industry has gotten smaller, and it seemed like all the other guys in the industry had done their time. So it was my turn,” he said. “I am eager to meet our new board and feel confident that with the diversity of the backgrounds brought to the table, we should be able to move forward toward our responsibility to the seafood industry we represent.”
Industry issues for which fresh ideas are sought include the lack of youth entering into both the fisheries and the processing side of the industry, said Gibson. “Along with those issues are the challenges of increasing operating costs versus global competition, which directly affects the market price of our products. While the solutions won’t be easy, the new board has promise. We have people selected for their fields of expertise. No one part of the industry is as strong as we are when we band together. If we all move forward toward the same purpose, we’ll do well.”
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