Amid Influx of Imported Shrimp, Bayou La Batre Declares Disaster for Shrimping Industry
September 6, 2023 | 1 min to read
In Bayou La Batre, Alabama, Mayor Henry Barnes has requested federal and state relief for local shrimpers hit hard by a surge of inexpensive imported shrimp, leading to a depressed seafood industry. On August 17, the city council declared a disaster due to “shrimp dumping,” where lower-priced foreign shrimp outcompetes the wild-caught Alabama Gulf Shrimp. Mayor Barnes expressed the community's struggle, stating that seeking help is unfamiliar for these traditionally independent hard-working people.
The city of Bayou La Batre, the epicenter of the seafood industry in Alabama, is looking for the federal and state governments to provide relief to shrimpers in the area, following an influx of imported shrimp that has depressed the industry.
On August 17, Mayor Henry Barnes sent a letter to Gov. Kay Ivey, asking for assistance for the seafood industry in the city. The same day, the Bayou La Batre City Council passed a resolution declaring a disaster due to “shrimp dumping”—the practice of foreign shrimp vendors flooding the market with farm-raised shrimp that sells for lower prices than the wild-caught Alabama Gulf Shrimp.
“Any kind of help would do,” Barnes said. “We’re not the kind of people that actually are used to asking for help. Bayou La Batre people are normally independent, and this is something new, us asking for help. It’s a lot of hard-working people down there.”
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