Louisiana shrimpers hope tariffs keep their sinking industry afloat
Shrimpers said President Donald Trump's new tariffs on shrimp-supplying countries are a good catch for their business.
By Jonah Gilmore
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NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — As a result of tariffs, one industry in Louisiana said they’re expecting to see a spike in sales.
Shrimpers said President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on shrimp-supplying countries are a good catch for their business.
Fred Everhardt has spent decades of his life as a shrimper, experiencing every time his industry sinks.
“It’s coming at a very much-needed time for our industry, and hopefully, we can save our industry. It’s a problem that’s been going on for years,” Everhardt said.
He believes new tariffs imposed by Trump could keep local shrimpers afloat.
“We know that we’re going to be at a sustainable price to where we’re going to come in make money instead of coming in and breaking even or losing money,” Everhardt said.
Acy Cooper with the Louisiana Shrimpers Association said domestic shrimp brings in about 50 cents a pound, but imported shrimp is cheaper due to lower labor costs and lax regulations, leaving Louisiana shrimpers stuck.
“We couldn’t get rid of them, and we had record low prices to the point where a lot of fishermen got out this past year,” Cooper said.
According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Louisiana shrimpers harvest around 70 million pounds of shrimp annually, contributing significantly to the state’s economy and supporting 15,000 jobs, but that is a small fraction of the total U.S. shrimp consumption, with imports accounting for nearly 90%.
“This could be a game changer for this industry. We’ve been fighting for so long, and finally, something is starting to happen,” Cooper said.
Vietnam, India and Indonesia are some of the largest exporters of farm-raised shrimp and now face some of the highest tariffs, a move Cooper said levels the waters.
“We’re looking at them raising the prices to a level that we can compete with them, and that’s what we’re hoping for,” Cooper said.
While many feel tariffs are drowning the economy, shrimpers believe they are a lifeline to help pull their industry up.
“We’re excited, but we have a lot of work to do,” Everhardt said.
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