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Buying shrimp from the boat and size honesty

Posted on 8/3/24 at 4:24 pm
Posted by Sixafan
Member since Aug 2023
947 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 4:24 pm
Sooo been buying shrimp direct from boats in Louisiana for years and was wondering why it seems like the stated size always appears to be one or two sizes smaller than all my research suggests they size should me. Are LA shrimp lighter or less dense or is everything graded by size going to be exaggerated by the seller.

How do yall know when you getting an accurate count?
Posted by TPK 8
South Coast
Member since Apr 2023
60 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 4:28 pm to
put them on a scale and see how many it takes to make a pound.
Posted by CHEDBALLZ
South Central LA
Member since Dec 2009
23072 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 4:34 pm to
Tell him to count them for you, if he don't he's lying about the size. I buy about 250lbs a year for myself and another 5-600 for friends and family, always get a fair deal with the guys I deal with.
Posted by Sixafan
Member since Aug 2023
947 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 4:34 pm to
Good idea but usually get to busy deheading before the ice melts. Was curious if there was a visual aid when you see them. Not real courteous where im from to challenge the shrimper at the dock.
Posted by armsdealer
Member since Feb 2016
12272 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 4:44 pm to
Are ya'll really finding shrimp cheaper than just buying them at B&J's when you need them? They are fresh, just off the boat too, and usually way cheaper.
Posted by Loup
Ferriday
Member since Apr 2019
15620 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 4:44 pm to
My dad always used to bring a scale to keep them honest. He'd weigh 3 lbs out then count how many were in it. Usually the seller was exaggerating the size.
Posted by Sixafan
Member since Aug 2023
947 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 4:46 pm to
And then did he go home or negotiate price?
Posted by Loup
Ferriday
Member since Apr 2019
15620 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 5:00 pm to
quote:

And then did he go home or negotiate price


He either got the price down or went home. We used to run a trawl so it was rare that we had to buy them. It was usually when he wanted some big ones and we hadn't caught anything other than gumbo shrimp.
Posted by Sixafan
Member since Aug 2023
947 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 5:03 pm to
And did he find alot of grading exaggeration?
Posted by No Colors
Sandbar
Member since Sep 2010
12899 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 5:19 pm to
quote:

Are ya'll really finding shrimp cheaper than just buying them at B&J's when you need them? They are fresh, just off the boat too, and usually way cheaper.


I buy shrimp down in Venice right off the boat. Sometimes at the lock in Empire. Sometimes at the Vietnamese dock just over the levee in Venice (the one with the goats and the fighting roosters).


Sometimes they're 10/16s and sometimes they're 16/20s. But over 4th of July week this year they were $2.75.

I can't imagine them being any cheaper than that.
Posted by Ol boy
Member since Oct 2018
3956 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 5:34 pm to
quote:

How do yall know when you getting an accurate count?

Other than just looking a them with experience you gonna have to put them on a scale and call the guy who’s trying to make a living selling something that right now regardless of size is cheaper than bologna a liar!!
Regardless of the size other than the fact that smaller ones 40-50s as opposed to 26-30s are a lil more tedious to peel if the price is right the smaller the better from a taste and waste standpoint unless you wanting to grill them.
Posted by Sixafan
Member since Aug 2023
947 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 5:49 pm to
I agree with you but wonder what Rouses them to sell us bigger shrimp for only $1 more per pound.
Posted by Tigerpaw123
Louisiana
Member since Mar 2007
17747 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 5:58 pm to
Same time BJs in Hammond had fresh 10-15’s 2.99/lb
16-20’s for 2.50/lb

Hope you enjoyed your road trip to Venice
Posted by Ol boy
Member since Oct 2018
3956 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 6:01 pm to
I see friends of mine on FB selling 16-20s for 3.00 a pound. They would probably only get 1.50 at the dock for them.
Middle man has been getting rich off of shrimpers for years they are trying to make a “what they are worth” price by pedaling.
The only ones making it or going to make it are the ones pedaling shrimp or catering to high end consumers that want fresh gulf shrimp.
It’s a dying industry gone the way of whaling, Buffalo hunting, beaver trapping and running deer with dogs!!
Posted by Loup
Ferriday
Member since Apr 2019
15620 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 6:02 pm to
quote:

And did he find alot of grading exaggeration


Yes almost every time.
Posted by LSU Neil
Springfield
Member since Feb 2007
3402 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 6:26 pm to
Typically “off the boat” means just that.
Boat run. It’s what they caught.
I bought off the boat in venice last year for 2.50/lb
Off their boat into my bass boat ice chest.
Posted by Righteous Dude
Member since Oct 2017
1536 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 6:42 pm to
quote:

It’s a dying industry gone the way of whaling, Buffalo hunting, beaver trapping and running deer with dogs!!


One of these is not like the others,

Posted by baldona
Florida
Member since Feb 2016
23312 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 6:57 pm to
Most people that shrimp aren’t exactly brain surgeons and choir boys, you just gotta know that going in.

But they are also a hell of a lot better off selling direct to a customer for cash then to a middle man that gets them a 1099.

I rarely buy shrimp off the boat in small quantities of under 10 lbs and usually it’s 50-100 lbs or more. It’s not unusual for me to feel like they gave me more than what I bought. It’s good business to keep cash customers happy.
Posted by deltaland
Member since Mar 2011
100284 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 8:07 pm to
quote:

It’s a dying industry gone the way of whaling, Buffalo hunting, beaver trapping and running deer with dogs!!


How is it dying when shrimp is the top consumed seafood?

Shrimp: 5 lbs per person
Canned tuna: 2.6 lbs per capita
Salmon: 2.83 lbs per capita
Tilapia: 1.07 lbs per capita
Alaska pollock: 0.88 lbs per capita
Cod: 0.57 lbs per capita
Crab: 0.52 lbs per capita
Catfish: 0.52 lbs per capita
Pangasius: 0.39 lbs per capita
Scallops: 0.22 lbs per capita
Posted by No Colors
Sandbar
Member since Sep 2010
12899 posts
Posted on 8/3/24 at 8:07 pm to
quote:

Hope you enjoyed your road trip to Venice


I did. I took the kids to Galatoire's and then to get sandwiches at Domilise's. Then down to Venice and caught 60 really nice trout in about 2 hours on the beaches above Sandy Point. On July 4th we went up to the racetrack in Marrero and raced go karts for a couple of hours. Really fun road trip with the kids. And came home with 50# of shrimp and 50# of trout fillets.

'Merica
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