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Tribute

In Memory of Brian Perkins

by Richard Wallace, Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center

Alabama seafood lovers and the Gulf seafood industry lost a good friend and ardent supporter when Brian Perkins passed away on March 16 of this year. Brian was the Extension Seafood Technologist at the Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center/Sea Grant Extension Program for the past 17 years, and previously held a similar position with Georgia Sea Grant for eight years.

Brian provided technical assistance to seafood processors on a variety of important issues including product quality, waste management and regulatory compliance. Most recently, Brian provided HACCP training to virtually every seafood processor in Alabama and was involved in HACCP training throughout the Gulf region. As a result of these efforts, a majority of seafood processors enjoyed a relatively smooth transition to the new inspection system.

Brian also produced a number of informational pamphlets for seafood consumers, wrote a newspaper column that usually featured seafood or seafood recipes and answered numerous consumer questions about seafood preparation and safety.
Brian’s professionalism, expertise and abilities will be sorely missed by his colleagues, the seafood industry and seafood consumers.

A Note from Kristen Fletcher, Editor

Since my arrival at the Legal Program in 1997, some of the most rewarding work has been as a result of Sea Grant Extension Agents’ advisory and research requests. I met Brian on a trip to Mobile in my first year as a staff attorney — during which he and Rick Wallace treated me to an excellent Alabama seafood lunch. These lunches with Brian and Rick became a highlight when I traveled to Mobile, hearing about both work and families. In the five years of working with Brian, he gave me some of the most challenging and interesting requests. Each time he would call on the Legal Program, I knew that I was going to learn something new from him and that my research would take us on a journey to assist his seafood constituents in understanding the law. As all of his colleagues have expressed since his passing, it was an honor to work with Brian and his Sea Grant family misses him tremendously.

University of Mississippi