Louisiana Shrimpers Still At Odds With Federal Government

This weekend the Shrimp Capital of the World, Delcambre Louisiana will celebrate the industry that has made it famous. The 65th Delcambre Shrimp Festival will bring tens of thousands of visitors to this wonderful community to celebrate shrimp. There will be carnival rides, great food, lots of arts and crafts and some great live music too.

One thing there probably won't be will a lot of kind words for the United States Government and the way it is regulating the influx of foreign shrimp on the domestic market. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council is holding meetings in New Orleans this week and protesters have made their presence known.

Clint Guidry is President of the Louisiana Shrimp Association and he says what is decided in these meetings will have a huge affect on the future of the shrimping industry.

What's at stake here is American jobs, American workers, centuries old culture by our federal government imposing laws on us that we don't need.  More regulation, more restriction.

Guidry's comments to the Louisiana Radio Network suggest that local shrimpers do not feel that the federal regulators are doing enough to protect the domestic producer. He noted that the industry has seen dockside revenue from shrimp fall by two-thirds. Guidry says that kind of revenue loss could mean the end of the industry.

A multi-billion dollar industry in the Gulf of Mexico and on the east coast and we're about to lose it all.  Tens of thousands of jobs.

Guidry urges those who support the local shrimp industry to do two things. He says first, contact your Congressman and let your voice be heard. Tell them that you don't want imported shrimp destroying a Louisiana way of life. Second says Guidry,

When you go to the supermarket ask for domestic, wild caught shrimp.  When you go to the restaurant ask for Louisiana and domestic Gulf of Mexico wild caught shrimp and demand it.

That is certainly something that all lovers of fine Louisiana shrimp can do.