As part of promised efforts to aid domestic wild shrimp suppliers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is purchasing nearly USD 23.7 million (EUR 22 million) worth of shrimp.
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.-based Paul Piazza & Sons will supply the majority of the contract at USD 10.6 milion (EUR 10 million), followed by Lafitte, Louisiana, U.S.A.-based Lafitte Frozen Foods, which will supply nearly USD 6.4 million (EUR 6 million).
Isola, Mississippi, U.S.A.-based Consolidated Catfish Companies will supply USD 797,000 (EUR 751,000) worth of shrimp, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.A.-based Gulf Pride Enterprises will supply nearly USD 1.2 million (EUR 1.1 million), and Ocean Select Seafood in Henderson, Louisiana, U.S.A. will supply USD 4.6 milion (EUR 4.3 million).
This fall, U.S. Representative Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) announced the USDA planned to purchase USD 25 million (EUR 23.6 million) worth of Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic wild shrimp.
Graves said the purchases will provide relief to Louisiana’s shrimp industry, which he said has faced several recent hardships: Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters, repeated openings of the Bonnet Carre Spillway, unfair trade practices, illegal dumping of chemicals, inflation, higher fuel prices, and supply-chain issues.
“We are not giving up on Louisiana’s seafood industry – the largest supplier in the country and the economic engine of many areas along our coast,” Graves said. “We are working from every angle to bring them more relief while also working to reform the ridiculous fisheries disaster process.”
When completed, the buy will mark the third straight year that the USDA has made significant purchases of domestic shrimp, the Southern Shrimp Alliance said in a press release.
“Shrimpers from Texas to North Carolina are confronting unprecedented challenges this year, from natural disasters to a deluge of cheap imports to high fuel costs to inflation everywhere but in the price of our catch,” SSA Executive Director John Williams said. “We are fortunate both to have fishermen that continue to fight for the future of our industry and representatives that have been willing to listen and take action.”
Redby, Minnesota, U.S.A.-based Red Lake Nation Fisheries was awarded the contract to supply 108,000 pounds of walleye fillets, at around USD 1.3 milion (EUR 1.2 million). The supplier will delivery walleye between January and April 2023.
Photo courtesy of Bonnie Taylor Barry/Shutterstock
