Texas Shrimpers Blame U.S. Government for Industry's Decline

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For people like Robert L. Perkins III, the U.S. government is to blame for the demise of the shrimping industry. "The same thing that happened to our textile industry is happening (to shrimping)," in the Brownsville/Port Isabel area, he said. "I wonder who is next."

For people like Robert L. Perkins III, the U.S. government is to blame for the demise of the shrimping industry.


"The same thing that happened to our textile industry is happening (to shrimping)," in the Brownsville/Port Isabel area, he said. "I wonder who is next." Perkins is a certified public accountant who takes care of the financial matters of a number of area shrimpers.


But he, as well as others, can't figure out why the government has let other countries, such as China, Vietnam, Brazil, Ecuador, Thailand and India, flood the market with cheap pond-raised shrimp.


And although import tariffs were imposed on those countries last year, he believes that it came too late to rescue the shrimp industry.


However, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, said that putting all the blame on the government will not help their plight.


"There is lot of truth to what they are saying about rising fuel costs," John Ward, a NOAA senior economist in Maryland, said. "Prices have gone down in the last decade primarily because of pond-raised shrimp, but blaming the government is not the answer." Ward said NOAA has been trying to work with the shrimpers in the past and will continue to work with them.


Just recently, for example, NOAA made a number of recommendations to help he ailing industry, he said.


"We suggested to them to look at some options like a good marketing program," Ward said. "That would increase profitability." Another recommendation was to get together in a cooperative, something that he said shrimpers from Louisiana have shown a lot interest in.


He said the Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Council has issued new guidelines, including a moratorium on the number of new shrimp licenses issued.


"They are certainly facing a very difficult time," Ward said. "But there are alternatives that could be used by the industry. It's really up to them to implement some changes." Shrimpers said they are looking at ways to promote their industry.


However, spending tens of thousands of dollars in an advertising campaign could be a tough sell.


Shrimpers affiliated with the Brownsville/Port Isabel Shrimpers Association are supposed to pay annual membership dues of about $50, but about 25 percent have failed to pay, a shrimper said.


Meanwhile, the Texas Department of Agriculture is promoting Texas shrimp.


It recently launched its 2005 "Celebrate the Catch of Texas," contest.


Among its entry divisions is a best shrimp recipe category.


"We want everyone to know that Texas has a thriving shrimp industry," D'Anne Stites, TDA's marketing coordinator for shrimp, said. "When you are eating Texas shrimp you are eating the freshest, best tasting shrimp anywhere and supporting a longstanding Texas enterprise."


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Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News