The Louisiana House of Representatives has passed a resolution calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to buy shrimp from the Southern state.
The lawmakers asked the federal government to purchase shrimp landed in Louisiana under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which authorizes the USDA to purchase surplus goods to support domestic producers and use the food for federal nutrition programs, such as school lunches.
The resolution lists “foreign shrimp, rising operational costs, and market instability” as major challenges facing the state’s shrimp sector.
“Imported shrimp often undercuts domestic shrimp prices, placing Louisiana producers at a competitive disadvantage and threatening the long-term viability of the domestic shrimp industry,” the resolution states. “Purchasing Louisiana shrimp under Section 32 authority would provide immediate economic relief to domestic shrimpers while ensuring that high-quality, American-produced seafood reaches families in need.”
The resolution goes on to note that USDA has bought “tens of millions of dollars worth of Louisiana shrimp every year since at least 2020” and a failure to do so again in 2026 would “be dire.” According to the Southern Shrimp Association, the USDA has purchased USD 126 million (EUR 108 million) worth of domestic warmwater wild-caught shrimp since 2020 through Section 32.
The Louisiana House approved the resolution in a unanimous 92-0 vote on 13 May.
The move follows a similar request by U.S. Representative Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana), who wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins in January asking the same thing.
“Louisiana's shrimp industry is integral to both our state and national economies, supporting approximately 15,000 jobs and generating USD 1.3 billion [EUR 1.1 billion] in economic activity each year throughout the state. According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana shrimpers harvest around 70 million pounds of shrimp annually. However, these 70 million pounds of shrimp are a small fraction of total U.S. shrimp consumption, with imports accounting for nearly 90 percent,” Higgins said in the 28 January letter. “Our domestic shrimpers face unrighteous competition from the billions of pounds of inferior, imported shrimp that cross our borders each year from nations such as India and Indonesia, which undercut U.S. producers.”
The Southern Shrimp Alliance has backed the lawmakers’ requests, calling on the federal government to purchase shrimp in 2026.
“The Southern Shrimp Alliance joins the Louisiana Legislature and Congressman Clay Higgins in calling for USDA Section 32 purchases of shrimp in FY 2026,” Southern Shrimp Alliance Director Blake Price said in a release. “In the face of relentless competition from unfairly traded imports, this important federal program has allowed shrimp boats to leave the dock and put food on the table for commercial fishermen and needy families around the country. Announcing another round of Section 32 purchases is something that the USDA could do immediately to provide meaningful assistance to shrimpers unsure if they will be able to work this season.”
