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PROTECTION FOR US SHRIMP INDUSTRY SOUGHT

WASHINGTON, DC - The US shrimp industry is asking its government to take swift action against imports of dumped shrimp from Thailand, China, Vietnam, India, Ecuador, and Brazil that are injuring the domestic industry.

The Shrimp Trade Action Committee - an ad hoc committee of vessel owners and shrimp processors - has petitioned the Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission to restore the conditions of fair trade in shrimp by imposing anti-dumping duties on shrimp imported from the six countries.
 
The Mexican shrimp industry has also joined the call for fair trade and supports the trade action.

According to the group, "a variety of financial incentives provided by national governments and international institutions over a number of years have over-stimulated the infrastructure and production of farm-raised shrimp in these countries. This overproduction, coupled with import tariffs, controls, and occasional shrimp import bans by the European Union means that ever-increasing volumes of foreign shrimp are entering the U.S. market at ever-lower prices."

The US shrimp industry "is in dire straits," said Eddie Gordon, president of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. "Competitive and efficient companies are closing, unemployment is rising, and boats are being repossessed. The key reason is the high and increasing level of dumped shrimp imports entering the U.S. market. If the unfair practice of dumping continues, many more family businesses will fail, thousands more employees will be out of work, and many coastal communities will be devastated."

In 2000, the value of the US shrimp harvest was $1.25 billion. In 2002, the value of the U.S. shrimp harvest in 2002 plunged over 50% to $560 million due to, the group claims, the "unrestricted dumping of shrimp on the US market."

The Southern Shrimp Alliance is an alliance of eight southern coastal states from North Carolina to Texas, representing the harvesters, processors, and distributors of American wild caught shrimp.

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