Shrimping was once the foundation of Louisiana's fishing industry. Now, the state is struggling to save shrimping, but there is little optimism.
Shrimpers are faced with low prices driven by foreign competition and high fuel costs. The combination left a number of boats docked when the white shrimp season opened this week. The overall number of boats has dwindled because the banks have seized those on which owners have been unable to make payments because of low prices and high fuel costs.
The sad fact is that 90 percent of shrimp consumed in the U.S. is imported. Foreign shrimp caused the average dockside price of $1.45 per pound in 2000 to drop to 94 cents in 2006.
Three years ago, a fishing industry trade association reported that 30 percent to 40 percent of the shrimpers in Louisiana and other coastal states are leaving the industry.
Many communities dependent on the shrimping industry are suffering. The ice plants, fuel docks and processing plants are feeling the pinch.
Ironically, the white shrimp catch off Louisiana's shores has been good recently. The benefits of a good season on the water, however, are negated by low prices and the drastic increase in operating costs.
Louisiana's Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board continues its battle to save the industry.
The board's strategy to open direct channels between shrimpers and restaurants that want high-quality wild shrimp, produced positive results, but only a fraction of the fleet has been able to participate.
The Catfish Institute of the U.S. is spearheading a drive for country-of-origin labels on seafood listed on restaurant menus. The state Legislature rejected such labeling in its last session. It could have been a blessing for all elements of the domestic fishing industry.
In 2004, the Bush administration threw its weight behind the move to impose tariffs on foreign shrimp, targeting China and Vietnam. The administration concluded that frozen and canned warm-water shrimp products had been dumped into the U.S. market at artificially low prices.
Despite the work of the Promotion and Marketing Board and the support of the president, however, the industry is dangerously close to becoming extinct. Foreign shrimp is coming into the U.S. from Thailand, India, Mexico, Ecuador and Indonesia, as well as China and Vietnam.
We as consumers have no control over the cost of fuel or the imposition of tariffs on foreign shrimp. We can, however, demand that the shrimp we purchase in stores or restaurants be domestic.
The demise of the industry which many consider a possibility and others a certainty, would take a toll on the entire state and all its residents. We must do all we can to help solve it.
