USDA Plans Purchase to Support Gulf Shrimp Industry

As a person who absolutely loves them, I can not imagine any scenario where there would ever be excess shrimp. But then again up until the year 2020, I had no idea how to imagine a pandemic. That pandemic is the reason that there is such an overabundance of shrimp and that's why the United States Departement of Agriculture is leaning in to help support the industry.

With so many restaurants across the state operating on reduced hours or being totally shuttered Louisiana and the Gulf Coast Shrimping industry are finding themselves in quite a quandary. The problem has not been quantity or quality, the problem has been finding a buyer and getting a fair price for the catch.

That's why the USDA announcement that they will be purchasing $30 million dollars of Gulf of Mexico Shrimp is such welcome news. That purchase should take about 1/3 of the current glut of shrimp off the market. This will allow the market to go through a bit of a correction and should bring prices to a more respectable level for so many of our Gulf Coast fishing families.

One way you and I can help is by eating more than our fair share of Gulf Coast Shrimp. Whether you're purchasing them to prepare at home or you're ordering them in a restaurant for dine-in, pickup, or delivery, just remember every bite counts. Who knew helping could taste so good?

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