The shrimpers and fishers of Louisiana gathered in New Orleans to express their dismay in what they say is poor regulation on the government’s part when it comes to seafood imports.
As the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council met in the same city, La. seafood workers rallied outside with the help of the Louisiana Shrimpers Association. They argued that the government’s practice of not properly inspecting seafood imports has negatively affected their livelihoods. If nothing changes, local fishers and the association fear that the La. shrimping industry may die out.
“The saddest part that I see is that the younger generations has to go somewhere else to get a job. We have some fishing families that are six generations,” George Barisich, a board member of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, told WDSU News.
According to Barisich, the countries that import shrimp subsidize their businesses, making it impossible for La. shrimpers to compete: “Some of those countries, they are paying them 18 cents an hour to farm shrimp,” he said.
The drop in retail shrimp prices to be seen this fall doesn’t bode well for Louisiana’s seafood industry, according to the concerned shrimpers and the association. A 65 percent decline in dockside revenue fuels such a concern – where La. shrimpers used to pull in nearly USD 5 (EUR 4.4) for a pound of large white shrimp last year, they now make just USD 1.50 (EUR 1.3), reported WDSU News.
Much of the seafood imports coming through La. and the United States has been denied by other countries due to poor farming practices, said Barisich.
“We have all these rules and regulations to follow. If they [importers] had to follow the same rules and regulations, their prices would be the same, and it would be free trade. It would be fair, because I’m going to compete. I'm going to give you a better product at the same price,” Barisich concluded.
