‘The boats are just sitting there’: Area shrimpers struggling amidst imports

For many Southeast Texans, shrimping isn’t merely an occupation. Instead, scouring the seas is a way of life often handed down from one generation to the next.

Now, local shrimpers are walking away from the family business entirely. While the shrimp industry used to be a booming revenue source, the plight of the average worker has changed in large part due to a practice known as shrimp dumping.

“This is putting a great deal of stress on shrimpers’ families,” said Father Sinclair Oubre, who oversees the Dioscesan Stella Maris, or Apostleship of the Sea.

Oubre is well-versed in the business surrounding Southeast Texas’ seafarers. In addition to his role as Diocesan Director, he also helped found the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association and still serves as treasurer.

At its core, shrimp dumping is a practice in which foreign suppliers import large quantities of product to ports in the United States. Oubre said that because of these imported options, freezer space for Gulf-caught shrimp provided by local workers is limited.

With cheap imported options filling freezers, demand for Gulf-caught shrimp is dwindling. Now, the pocketbooks of shrimpers are suffering in turn.

“A lot of these guys can’t go out and fish because the revenue doesn’t even cover the cost of fuel to go out there,” Oubre said. “They’ve been tied up on the dock because of this situation, which puts debt on them because the boats are just sitting there.”

Kyle Lowell, president of the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association, is a third generation shrimper. He said many of his peers are quitting the industry outright due to the impacts of dumping.

“We’re getting older and it ain’t worth the fight,” Lowell said. “The whole industry is upside down. We’ve got one of the best products out here. We’re trying to get people to recognize this, but that’s a hard road to fight.

“Call it the domino effect. Down the line, it affects a lot of places. It’s our mind. It’s everything else, webbing, nets, boots, shoes, clothes and food. Everything that goes on these boats, buying fuel. When you’re not getting enough to be able to supply these things, then you’re going out of business.”

Shrimp dumping has additional effects aside from its monetary impacts. Imported shrimp can also become a public health concern.

Oubre said the product coming in from other countries is often more prone to carrying bacteria and doesn’t pass inspection standards in Europe. However, standards are lower in the U.S. and only around 2% of imports are tested to begin with, which means failed shipments are re-routed here.

“What we’re finding is that even the little bit of testing that takes place still finds significant amounts of bacteria and antibiotics which exceeds our already-poor standards,” Oubre said.

This is not a double-edged sword, though. Rather, it’s a triple-edged one as an already complex matter is further complicated by ethical concerns around the imported shrimp.

According to Oubre, much of the shrimp imported from developing nations is not ethically-sourced. He alleges that many product suppliers utilize variations of unethical labor, whether that come from underpaid or forced workers — or even child labor.

“At some point we have to ask what the ethical and environmental impacts are,” Oubre said.

Due to guidance from the NOAA Fisheries service, federal waters off the coast of Texas have been closed to shrimpers since May so that the brown shrimp population could replenish and grow.

The commercial shrimping season reopened July 15 at sunset. Tricia Kimball with the Shrimpers Association said she is uncertain how many crews will be able to turn a profit and remain in the Gulf’s waters.

“Usually, July 15 is the bright spot of the year,” Kimball said. “We’re hoping everyone makes it out, but two years ago a lot of people went out and came right back. In a lot of cases they lose money. We hope that’s not the case this year.”

During the most recent meeting of the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association, members discussed their plans for the upcoming season and the latest shrimping developments in government.

After a petition was filed by shrimpers last year, the United States International Trade Commission has asked workers to fill out a 16-page questionnaire about the impacts of frozen warm-water shrimp from Ecuador, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Kimball also said the Texas House of Representatives is holding a hearing July 16 regarding shrimp dumping. This hearing suggests government officials are listening, though Kimball said the scheduled date doesn’t account for the fact that most shrimpers will be offshore in the Gulf of Mexico for the newly-opened season.

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