Fall shrimp season opens today all across Louisiana. That’s the good news. Whether the haul of white shrimp will help struggling shrimpers overcome the high price of diesel coupled with the setbacks of the storms of 2005, which destroyed much of the state’s infrastructure, is another question. During the spring season, the price of shrimp was too low for shrimpers to make a profit much less break even, and a lot of families who have been shrimping for generations are hanging up their nets. Low cost imported shrimp doesn’t help the equation.
The best thing consumers can do to support Louisiana’s shrimp industry is to buy local. If you can’t make it down to the docks at Delcambre and Intercoastal City, try locally owned fish markets, or ask at the grocery store if the shrimp come from the Gulf. Consumer support is the way to keep our friends and neighbors in business, and fresh shrimp on the table.