September 14, 2023 — Shrimpers throughout the South say their industry is in crisis and they’re asking the government to step in.
They want a Federal Disaster Declaration on fisheries – after they say an influx of foreign unregulated shrimp has flooded the U.S. market.
Lifelong shrimper, Marty Collins said, “We’re to the bottom and we can’t make it no more, because we can’t pay our bills. Basically, our “take-home” isn’t taking us home anymore.”
Marty Collins has been a shrimper for over 50 years.
He says foreign shrimp, imported during the pandemic, has prevented him and other local shrimpers from selling what they catch.