Tag Archives: Captain Stephen Phelps

Shrimpers in Florida losing millions after Hurricane Ian

Jesse Clapham, of Erickson and Jensen Seafood, said his company brings in $10 million a year from shrimping. Ian is a major setback to an industry already playing catch-up, he says. “You know we’ve been through multiple hurricanes in the past, fuel prices, imported shrimp, and we keep going,” Clapham said. When the storm first hit, many shrimpers took refuge on their boats. Bloomberg reports that because diesel prices rose so much this year, the boats couldn’t afford to go to Texas in April, as they usually do, where shrimp are more plentiful. When they stayed in Florida, it put some of them directly in Hurricane Ian’s path. “We need help from the government or the state of Florida,” Clapham said. Video, >click to read< 09:25