Is Florida Seafood Still Available?

Florida Promoting Seafood Via Hotlines And Internet

TALLAHASSEE -- With many Americans making plans for Fourth of July get-togethers, some consumers are wondering if they will be able to celebrate with Florida seafood products. Florida seafood products continue to be harvested from waters unaffected by the Gulf oil spill and are available for everyone's enjoyment. So, get your grill ready to fire up and enjoy all of your Florida summertime seafood favorites.

"Because of the extensive news media coverage of the Gulf situation, many consumers are confused about whether Florida seafood is being harvested and if it is available in stores and restaurants," Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson said. "We want consumers to know Florida's commercial fishermen are harvesting wholesome seafood products from clean waters. Florida seafood is safe, plentiful and available."

Seafood lovers can get daily updates about the ongoing commercial harvest by calling the toll-free Florida Seafood Hotline at 1-800-357-4273 or by visiting www.FL-Seafood.com. There they can get current information about the status of Florida's open and closed fishing harvest areas, the availability of seafood varieties, and general pricing information.

Visitors to the web site can also view the activity at various seafood establishments located in Florida's Panhandle Gulf Coast region. To help promote public awareness about the availability of Florida seafood, webcams have been placed at several restaurants and seafood retail markets to show that "Florida is in business." The seafood establishments being featured are located in Pensacola, Santa Rosa Beach, Tallahassee, Destin and St. George Island. Webcams are operational during normal business hours for each establishment.

"I invite consumers to check out the webcams and see first-hand that Florida seafood is being harvested and made available for sale every day," Bronson said. "Florida's seafood markets and restaurants are in business, and they would greatly appreciate your patronage. Our seafood industry workers are doing their part, and we hope that consumers will help out by enjoying delicious Florida seafood at home and when dining out."

Consumers can find an extensive list of Florida seafood retail markets and restaurants online at www.fl-seafood.com/consumers/wheretobuy.htm.