re: Gulf Shrimp industry reeling from imports, low prices

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was at the Rouses in Carlisle. Only had frozen imported shrimp at $12/#

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And no Bawtriot will raise cane over it with Rouses. Easier to just blame 'yankee' states and people not close to a shoreline for being the meanies.

That’s pretty bad, even with increased consumption and increase of population since then that’s a drop in US shrimp consumption from 425 million lbs to about 120 million lbs.

Catfish is same way but not as bad. We processed 660 million lbs in 2003. We do 300-350 million now and have been steady on that since around 2010. But in 2007 we had 80% of domestic market and 20% was imports. In 2008 we had 20% imports were 80%. But we gained ground post recession to get back to 50/50 and even 60-40 in our favor under Trump. But it’s going back down again

It’s all economical. Consumers will pay for American in a good economy but in a shite economy they switch to imports. It’s not so much individual consumers but mostly restaurants. Bad economy means less people eating out means thinner margins so restaurants will order the cheap imports to make up the difference until their volume picks back up. Unfortunately for us due to regulations and grain cost for feed we cannot drop our prices to be competitive when this happens. If we do, too many farmers will go out of business and when sales pick back up we won’t have the fish supply to fill orders

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This. Also I don’t buy/eat anything from a restaurant that says “fried fish” and doesn’t specify what species it is.

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I wont eat it unless it says the source of the fish. Many states will call Asian imported fish catfish if the state doesn’t have labeling laws.

I only eat catfish or fresh seafood from gulf coast states, because all of those have labeling laws. The only exception is if the restaurant specifically labels it’s product as American sourced I.e if I’m in New York and it says “Louisiana gulf shrimp” or “Mississippi farm raised catfish” I’ll order it. But just says “shrimp” or “catfish” nah frick that

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am tired of subsidizing businesses. If the Government cared about small and local businesses they would not enforce so many taxes and penalties on the business. They should offer incentives to the business instead of punishing imports and forcing the higher cost onto consumers.

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I’m all for lowering taxes, regulations, wage laws and red tape hurdles for US producers. It’s outrageous, hell you have to jump through hoops to fire a bad employee to avoid getting sued. Guy that worked for me got a shotgun out of the truck without unloading it or putting the safety on first and accidentally shot the windshield out and there were coworkers in the immediate area. I fired him for violating our safety rules regarding handling of company firearms and wrote him up and everything. He tried to sue claiming discrimination

But unfortunately our electorate loves the over regulated nanny state so this result won’t ever happen. So it’s either protect domestic business and pay more, or destroy our blue collar producers, processors, and manufacturers for cheap unregulated imports and transition to a service economy with a bloated welfare state, because all those blue collar folk who aren’t intelligent enough to work white collar jobs will be on welfare and working at McDonald’s

My buddy was food poisoned in West Virginia eating sushi. I asked if he saw a body of salt water within several hundred miles.

Bought some 16-20 ct shrimp right off the boat today for $2.50/#. They said the local shrimp docks were only offering $1/# this week. That hardly pays for the fuel so they do retail on the side for a little extra.

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It’s not so much individual consumers but mostly restaurants.

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It kills me that you go to restaurants on the Gulf coast in Alabama and Florida and they have Asian swai instead of catfish that is raised a few miles away.

Talapia, Swai, and big, spongy, uniform shrimp are terrible but too many restaurants serve it. Why is farm raised fish and Chinese shrimp raised in the far East cheaper than Gulf shrimp.

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Gulf Coast fishermen crying about imports is rich considering they were all shipping their crabs to Maryland a few years ago

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Crabbers=/=shrimpers
Also Maryland doesn't produce enough crabs
We produce enough shrimp

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destroy our blue collar producers, processors, and manufacturers for cheap unregulated imports and transition to a service economy with a bloated welfare state

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This is the goal, hoss.