Multiple groups representing U.S. industries including the National Retail Federation and National Fisheries Institute have formed the U.S. Shrimp Coalition to advocate for retaining access to shrimp imports.
Announced on 31 July, the coalition said it was formed in response to increased effort to restrict shrimp imports in the U.S., though it did not name any specific effort.
“Shrimp is a staple on dinner tables across America because it’s nutritious, accessible, and affordable,” U.S. Shrimp Coalition Executive Director Josh Zive said. “The businesses that import, distribute, store, and serve shrimp support hundreds of thousands of jobs while ensuring families can enjoy America’s favorite seafood year-round.”
Zive said the coalition was formed to advocate for imported shrimp and to “make sure policymakers understand that imported shrimp is not just a trade issue; it’s an affordability issue, a jobs issue, and an essential part of America’s food supply.”
“We will advocate for policies that keep shrimp affordable and accessible for consumers nationwide,” Zive said.
Shrimp imports have been increasingly targeted by the U.S. federal government in 2026. In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) placed imported shrimp on its priority list for the year, and U.S. Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy advocated for increased inspections of shrimp imports “to make sure that Americans are not buying and eating contaminated shrimp and putting our shrimpers out of business.”
“South Asian nations are now dumping shrimp on our country. Their shrimp is heavily contaminated,” Kennedy said. “We just stopped a shipment that was contaminated with Cesium-137, which is radioactive. They’re farming these shrimps, and they use bactericides and antibiotics and all kinds of chemicals, and the shrimp are so contaminated the European nations won’t take them. So, they’re dumping them all here.”
The U.S. House also recently passed a bill authorizing the FDA to destroy hazardous imports, and U.S. Representative Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) and Representative Troy Carter (D-Louisiana) both cited shrimp imports in advocating for the act.
“American fishermen shouldn’t have to pay the price when bad actors bring contaminated and counterfeit products to the U.S.,” Carter said.
While members of the coalition did not cite any specific effort on the part of the government, it said any new tariff or import restriction results in higher prices for consumers and less nutritious food available.
“Globally sourced and domestic shrimp play complementary roles in meeting consumer demand,” National Fisheries Institute President and CEO Lisa Wallenda Picard said in a release about the new coalition. “Seafood sourced overseas provides the reliable, year-round supply Americans rely on while supporting U.S. processors, distributors, restaurateurs, and retailers, along with the 500,000+ American workers these businesses employ. The National Fisheries Institute is pleased to join the U.S. Shrimp Coalition in advocating for policies that keep shrimp affordable and available to American families in 50 states.”
The coalition said it also plans to support initiatives and policies that maintain a year-round supply of shrimp, protect the jobs tied to the shrimp supply chain, advance nutrition and public health goals consistent with federal dietary guidance, and recognize the roles that both imported and domestic shrimp play in meeting consumer demand.
“Imported and domestic shrimp are complementary products that together help keep seafood affordable and available,” Zive said. “Policies that preserve access to imported shrimp benefit consumers, strengthen supply chains, and support hundreds of thousands of American jobs.”
