Gulf Coast shrimpers say tariffs are a lifeline for their industry

Shrimpers along the Gulf Coast say they need more help from the federal government with cheap shrimp imports from countries like Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam driving down local demand.

With reciprocal tariffs on imports from those countries on hold for 90 days, shrimpers are left wondering if they will get a lifeline they say they desperately need. Some shrimp farmers are ready to push for measures like capping imports at 25%.

Rodney Olander with the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force has been coasting the gulf coast waters for shrimp for more than 40 years. 

Shrimp season is just a month away. But Rodney said the shrimp industry has been suffering for years. Now he's working with the Trump administration, hoping to save his business. 

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"We need to put a cap on the amount of shrimp that comes into the country," Rodney said. "You're going to have a glut of shrimp on the market and our price will never rebound. So we're hoping again that with these tariffs, maybe that will turn things around. That's the only thing we got to hang our hat on right now. We're losing our industry."

According to NOAA Fisheries, between 2021 and 2024, the U.S. spent between $6 and $8 billion dollars a year on shrimp from other countries. Making it the top seafood import.

In 2023 alone, the NOAA Fisheries said the U.S. seafood imports were more than $20 billion higher than seafood exports.

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Thomas Olander with the Louisiana Shrimp Association said a trade gap makes things worse.

"You can only go so far down. We feel like we've hit that mark," Thomas said. "We only have one way left to go now and that's back up."

Industry leaders say tariffs could be the key to their businesses staying afloat.

"We already getting reports that our shrimp prices are already starting to go up. So that was really good news that we heard in the last few weeks. The price of our product is going up," Thomas said. "All we've seen for the last 2 or 3 years, during this past administration, was a lower price."

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On Wednesday, President Trump announced a 90-day pause on higher tariffs for 75 countries, even though he kept a 10% universal rate in place.

Shrimpers are fighting for major policy changes, including one in which revenue from trade penalties and duties is sent back to the industry. Right now that money goes to the treasury.