Two Republican United States senators have teamed up to reintroduce the India Shrimp Tariff Act, legislation that would raise duties on shrimp and prawns imported from India.
The bill was previously introduced in 2023, but no action was taken on it during the previous Congress. Now, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) have reintroduced the legislation in a renewed effort to protect domestic shrimp producers from cheaper foreign imports from India.
“For too long, Indian shrimp has been dumped on the U.S. market with minimal penalty or regulation, which has come at the expense of domestic shrimpers, processors, restaurants, and consumers. Senator Cassidy’s commonsense legislation will help put our domestic industry on a more level playing field, and I will work with him to move this bill forward for the benefit of Gulf Coast shrimpers and everyone who enjoys domestic shrimp,” Hyde-Smith said in a release.
While language for the renewed bill has not been released, the previous version of the legislation raised duties on shrimp and prawn imported from India to 40 percent over a three-year period. It’s unclear if the revised legislation changes those percentages, but they would come on top of U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to raise tariffs on Indian imports to 50 percent in August.
India has been a major source of U.S. shrimp imports in recent years, leading to accusations of dumping and undermining domestic producers. In 2024, the U.S. government set a 5.77 percent countervailing duty on the country’s shrimp industry, with multiple India-based companies facing individual antidumping duties as well.
Despite those financial barriers already in place, lawmakers say the India Shrimp Tariff Act is necessary to discourage those imports and protect local shrimpers even further.
“People come from all over to try Louisiana gumbo, jambalaya, and shrimp and grits. That’s because our shrimpers and catfish farmers meet high standards,” Cassidy said. “By leveling the playing field, this bill protects Louisiana seafood and the jobs that depend on it.”
Cassidy has also been a vocal advocate for preventing any U.S. funding going to international monetary institutions for the promotion of foreign aquaculture development.
