Buy American Seafood Act Could Help U.S. Fishermen

The Southern Shrimp Alliance welcomed Representative Julia Letlow’s (R-LA) introduction of the Buy American Seafood Act, which would prohibit Federal agencies from procuring seafood for covered food programs unless the seafood is domestically sourced. The bill would also incorporate domestic seafood requirements into child nutrition programs. 

“American children deserve nutritious seafood proudly produced right here under stringent U.S. food safety standards and enforcement. Congresswoman Letlow’s bill delivers exactly that — and in doing so, it supports America’s coastal economies and fishing families,” said Blake Price, director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance.

Currently, U.S. taxpayer-funded food programs have been a missed opportunity for America’s commercial fishing industry. U.S. fishermen operate under some of the world’s most rigorous environmental, food safety, and labor standards, yet federal procurement dollars flow overseas to foreign producers who lack similar standards. This legislation addresses that imbalance, thwarting the race to the bottom that has led imports to supply 90% of all seafood consumed in the United States. In doing so, it brings more ethically produced seafood to Americans.

By directing domestic seafood to school cafeterias and federal nutrition programs, this bill creates a reliable, meaningful market for American-caught seafood. That translates directly into steadier income and greater economic security for shrimpers, crabbers, and fishermen from Alaska to Florida — people whose livelihoods and communities depend on a fair marketplace.

State of the U.S. Shrimp Industry

While consumer trends, such as the desire for local, natural, sustainable, and socially responsible protein sources, favor U.S. shrimp producers, the domestic industry is shrinking. Instead, growing volumes of shrimp are imported, mostly farmed in countries known for widespread use of banned antibiotics, forced labor, and environmental shortcuts to reduce costs.

In March, NOAA released a study underscoring the urgent need to support the U.S. shrimp industry, the world’s most sustainable shrimp trawl fishery. Following decades of unfair trade, it found the revenue of the Gulf shrimp revenue fell more than 50% in just two years, from $489 million in 2021 to $221 million in 2023. The federal fleet posted a 6.1% loss in 2023, leaving producers unable to reinvest in aging vessels and infrastructure. An estimated 1,200 jobs were lost on federal shrimp vessels between 2021 and 2023 as the number of active vessels dropped 19%. 

“The FDA is encouraging Americans to eat more seafood, and we catch and process the best right here at home. Ensuring U.S. funds deliver more premium U.S. seafood through nutritional programs is a win on every front. We commend Representative Letlow for her leadership on this issue and urge the swift passage of this commonsense bill,” said Price.

Read Rep. Letlow’s release: https://letlow.house.gov/media/press-releases/congresswoman-letlow-files-bill-protect-american-seafood

About the Southern Shrimp Alliance

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) is an organization of shrimp fishermen, shrimp processors, and other members of the domestic industry in the eight warmwater shrimp producing states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.