Pros And Cons Of Importing Shrimp

Often, when one goes to a restaurant, a dish containing seafood is usually one of the most pricy dishes there is. At local grocery stores, consumers can expect to pay more than eight dollars for less than a pound of shrimp. Since seafood is in such high demand, one would think that the fishermen who put in long hours of labor to collect this abundance would be well paid; however, that is not the case. In the past few years, fishermen in South Louisiana, specifically commercial fishermen, have seen a decline in the prices they receive for the shrimp that they sell.

In the past, commercial fishing used to be a very dependable job with a steady income; however, recently commercial fishermen have seen a steep decline in the price they receive

One way—the most obvious solution to me— is to stop importing foreign shrimp. More often than not, the United States is buying diseased shrimp to sell to its citizens. If the consumers who buy shrimp would be more aware and educated about the shrimp they are purchasing, America’s commercial fishing industry would be flooded with business. The consequence to this would be that not only are consumers eating healthy, local shrimp, but the United States would reduce the amount of spending on importing. In other words, if we stop importing shrimp, local shrimping business will flourish. Another solution would be to limit the amount that the “middle men” can profit or completely cut the middle men out. The shrimp shed owners give the fishermen low prices for their catch, and they sell it to the factories for a high price which gives them an abundance of profit. Yes they do work, but they cannot keep all of the profit for themselves. These shrimp shed owners are deciding what price they want to give the fishermen, and they have no one to regulate it or tell them what they can and cannot do. I, along with Chabert, believe that “a law or bill would need to be passed for price fixing” such that “the smallest grade of shrimp—which is 100 and over—should never reach a price lower than $1.50 per pound” (Chabert). Consequently, this would force shrimp sheds to give commercial fishermen higher prices, but it would cause the shrimp sheds to receive pay cuts. However, then they will learn what it is like to be a fisherman who is struggling to provide for his family. Finally, I believe that the commercial fishermen need good representation to help them speak out about the dilemmas they face. Yes, there are people that are trying to help out with the problem, but not enough is being done. These fishermen need a voice; they need to be heard. Guidry thinks that “the folks in Washington, they’re just not doing