re: Louisiana shrimpers call for cap on foreign imports

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I would like to know the ratio of domestic and imported. I won't buy imported bc we get our shrimp at the dock off the boats.

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Though I can’t give the exact figure today without looking it up in the National Marine Fisheries Service statistical database, I can tell you that since the 70’s imported shrimp has supplied 80% + of USA domestic shrimp consumption - domestic shrimp production has never been ever to come close to supplying domestic demand for 5 decades, there is simply not enough shrimp in the GOM, south Atlantic and Pacific to do that.

I’m not implying that shrimp imports don’t affect domestic shrimp prices, as indeed they do, but very sizable amounts of seafood imports into USA have been a “thing” for decades in order to meet the consumption demands by the USA population.

I don’t buy imported shrimp either, we are very lucky in south LA to buy fresh domestic shrimp off the docks - very few places places in USA where this can be done.

Same people will buy everything at Walmart from China to save 2 percent.

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Also, think about frozen crawfish prices. $16 for Louisiana and $8 for import. Keep that in mind.

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When a man’s buying 3-4 lbs it’s hard not to drop at least ONE lb of Chinese crawfish. They’ll never notice.

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We go down to Westwego shrimp lot to get our seafood.

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Funny you should mention that. Because they’re not on the “up and up” about where the shrimp comes from.

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Small government, except when it effects them

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Yea but the reason imports of any product are cheaper than domestic is due to big government regulations on domestic industry. If you want a competitive free market we have to deregulate a whole lot. If we fail to deregulate, the only option is protectionism or let American industries collapse

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selling them cheap, restaurants are buying them cheap but the end user (customer) is not seeing the result in the stores or restaurants. The shrimpers are getting screwed on the front end and the customers are getting screwed on the back end, meanwhile the guys in the middle are benefitting.

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Catfish industry is the same way. Restaurants and Sysco/US foods, etc never drop prices once they reach a new high even if the price on raw product drops eventually, so you never get the benefit of increased sales to offload inventory when prices drop

You guys need to read the theory of comparative advantage.

The guy who can produce it the cheapest always wins.

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Meanwhile, you pay $20 for 4 fried shrimp at the restaurant. Seems like they are the ones making all the profit nowadays.

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Prob, but they had to pay that guy $20 to cook those 4 shrimp, plus had to pay entergy, atmos, spectrum. Prob had some lawsuits from customers. They have refuse and rent to pay, prob some cam charges too. On top of that you got your insurance and taxes.

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It does. I don't know what that guy is saying, unless he wants it to be more obvious for people who don't check.

I get gulf shrimp at the grocery store 5 mins from my house, and the package has a decent-sized American flag on the back with "Product of USA".

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gotcha. I thought maybe I was going crazy I agree with topwater, i've seen some packges with a local sounding name but harvested from Philippines or somewhere overseaas.

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You guys need to read the theory of comparative advantage.

The guy who can produce it the cheapest always wins.

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In an economy where standard grocery bill for staple foods has increased + 30% in the last 18 months, people will buy the cheapest they can get no matter where it's coming from.