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Title: Seafood Extension Specialist
Location: Jeanerette, Seafood Processing Demonstration Lab
Strategic Goal Focus: Support small business startups and workforce development through FOODii, the Seafood Safety Lab, industry-based credential programs, our intellectual property commercialization program and other mechanisms.
In the heart of Cajun Country, where seafood is a cornerstone of the local economy, Evelyn Watts and the team with the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant Seafood Processing Demonstration Lab are advancing the state’s seafood industry while providing invaluable support to small businesses and independent fishermen. She has helped secure state-of-the-art equipment for the lab to assist with research and processing seafood and is helping fisherman identify niche markets that can give them more value for their catch.
For many small-scale fishermen and processors, the lab is offering a lifeline, allowing them to compete with bigger companies and in new markets. The lab provides essential training on preserving product quality, packaging and compliance with regulations, empowering fishermen to be able to process and sell their catch directly to consumers.
“We look into creating new market forms and also creating a market opportunity for those products,” Watts said. “So, we’re not only working with seafood and fishermen. We are also working with consumers and outreach faculty, so we create the need from the consumers, so we close the circle — we have a product, and we have a demand.”
Evelyn Watts’ work at the Seafood Processing Demonstration Lab can strengthen coastal economies through innovation, training and value-added seafood products. Her approach to connecting fishermen with niche markets and consumer demand can be adapted to support small-scale fisheries worldwide.
