DATE: Thursday, October 23, 1997            TAG: 9710230554
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   50 lines

CAMPAIGN TO COUNTER THE SCARE EFFECTS OF PFIESTERIA

The state announced a $700,000 advertising campaign Wednesday to reverse damage done to the state's half-billion-dollar seafood industry by concerns over Pfiesteria piscicida.

No one knows for sure how much the pfiesteria scare has hurt the state's fishermen, processors and other related businesses, but Virginia officials say they believe there is no human health threat from the microscopic organism and want the public to know it.

``We'd like to think positively that the damage done to the seafood industry is reparable,'' said Julie Overy, a spokeswoman for Gov. George F. Allen.

Overy also noted that $2.3 million was allocated recently to scientific and health research on the organism.

Pfiesteria is suspected of killing at least 12,000 fish this summer in Virginia and Maryland waterways, and of sickening some 28 Maryland watermen and state researchers.

Examinations of about a half-dozen Virginians who reported illnesses such as skin lesions, memory loss, headaches and nausea have not been conclusively linked to the microbe by the state's health department.

Overy said the state has received complaints from the seafood industry that sales have sunk between 20 percent and 40 percent since the lesion-covered fish made their way into headlines in recent months. But there are no firm numbers for how much businesses have been affected.

The money for the campaign comes from several state agencies, including the departments of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Health, Tourism, Business Assistance and Planning and Budget. The Virginia Marine Products Board, an association of seafood-related businesses, contributed $50,000. The advertising blitz is expected to last six to eight months.

During that time, a task force formed from members of the state agencies and the Marine Products Board will:

Conduct a promotional campaign for the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia seafood industry

Gauge consumer reaction to Virginia seafood

Establish a toll-free hotline and web page to answer consumer questions about Virginia seafood

Determine the economic impact of pfiesteria on seafood sales.

``Virginia is fortunate to have the bountiful, rich and productive resources of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries,'' Allen said in a statement. ``This vibrant and health resource yields the finest seafood in the world. This effort will preserve and enhance Virginia's competitive position in the seafood industry.''

The state reports that Virginia's seafood industry employs 11,000.

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