The Louisiana Oyster Industry Convention will be held on March 10 at the Hilton-New Orleans Airport, 901 Airline Drive, Kenner. 
                  The convention is the annual forum to bring the Louisiana oyster industry and its trade associations together to discuss important issues, to make business contacts and to socialize. Oysters will be served several ways, making the convention the best oyster feast of the year. 
                  The convention is sponsored by the Oyster Development Fund of the Louisiana Oyster Task Force, Louisiana Farm Bureau, J & M Industries & Berry Plastics, the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program, the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, the Louisiana Oyster Dealers & Growers Association and the LSU Agricultural Center. 
                  Registration is $50 before March 2 and $100 at the door. Registration includes seminars, a luncheon and a cocktail party (cash bar). To register, or for more information, contact John Supan at jsupan@lsu.edu or 985-264-3239. 
                  This year’s agenda will feature developing new oyster culture methods as an alternative to wild seed production and traditional on-bottom production. Speakers from states with successful or new oyster farming methods will cover programs, methods and their regulatory framework. Randy Pausina, assistant secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, will be the luncheon speaker. 
                  Other presentations throughout the day include:
                  
                    Change Isn’t Coming, It’s Already Here
                      John Supan, Ph.D., Louisiana Sea Grant College Program 
                    Shellfish Aquaculture in Maine and Why It Works 
                      Dana Morse , Ph.D., Maine Sea Grant College Program 
                    Changing Course: Rebuilding Maryland's Oyster Industry
                      Don Webster, Ph.D., University of Maryland Extension 
                    The Revitalization of Virginia's Oyster Industry 
                      Jim Wesson, Ph.D., Virginia Marine Resources Commission 
                    Oyster Farming in Alabama: Opportunities and Hurdles 
                      Bill Walton, Ph.D., Auburn University Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquaculture 
                    Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan 
                      Jerome Zeringue, Louisiana Coastal Restoration & Protection Authority 
                    A Comedy of the Commons? 
                      How Exploitation of the Louisiana Public Oyster Grounds is Sustainable 
                      Tom Soniat, Ph.D., University of New Orleans Department of Biological Sciences 
                    Louisiana Gold: The Ostrigari and Others that Made an Industry 
                    Don Davis & Carl Brasseaux, Louisiana Sea Grant Oral History Program