Louisiana's seafood industry took a major hit from the BP oil spill.
Fisherman were forced to sit out the lucrative summer fishing and shrimping season and the brand has been damaged by concerns over oil contamination in the fisheries.
The state wants BP to fund a long-term testing and marketing program.
That would include testing 400 samples of crab, oysters, shrimp and finfish per month, in all coastal parishes.
"Exxon funded 20 years of study in Alaska on the impact from the Valdez," said Barham. "This spill is multiple times bigger than the Valdez."
According to the governor's office, the first five years of the up to 20-year program would cost about $173 million.
State Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham says so far, BP is refusing to commit the dollars.
"BP has been slower and slower in responding to us and seems to be dragging their feet in making a commitment to fund the studies that we're going to need to ensure that this multi-billion dollar industry is viable in Louisiana," said Barham.
BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles says the company is still considering the seafood testing plan.
"Some of those requests went quite far out in time," said Suttles. "They were looking at up to 20 years. At this point in the response, it just isn't appropriate to actually look that far out."
Suttles suggests that the state look at paying for the program with money BP has already pledged to the oil spill recovery effort.
"The gulf research initiative, the $500 million we have made available to do long term impact assessments here in the gulf," said Suttles.
Secretary Barham says if BP doesn't voluntarily agree to the long term seafood testing plan, there are both criminal and civil remedies the state can use in an attempt to force BP to pay up.
It may be more and more difficult to talk to BP," said Barham. "It may be their attorneys that we're talking to."
Secretary Barham says the state has also requested that BP come up with enough money to cover the financial losses from recreational and commercial license sales.
He says they've been in steady decline since the BP oil spill, April 20.
