In 2000, the director of Virginia's Game and Inland Fisheries agency granted permission for the release of propagated endangered mussels into Virginia rivers. Heretofore, state policy prohibited the release to any location other than where the female mussel was collected. To reverse the trend, wild harvesting of fish and shellfish faces increasing limitations, tariffs, and regulations. These strictures have resulted in higher prices and the disappearance of small businesses in the face of powerful multinational corporations. Flick grew up in Louisiana, where the waters provide a livelihood for thousands, and seafood is a staple for thousands more.
Wild harvesting is too unpredictable, which promotes unpredictability along the entire supply chain.
Good seafood is a valued product, but it won't make it to the table as often as steak or chicken until production and distribution of seafood catches up. Now he is helping the industry change course. Americans consume 15.3 pounds of fish and shellfish per person per year, less than most developed nations. Fish and shellfish are among the only food items that still depend heavily on wild harvesting. Now aquaculture is catching up.