Tag Archives: Texas shrimpers

Mary Meaux – Our shrimping industry keeps taking hits with foreign imports

Days before the opening of the Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season, a group of shrimpers held a rally in Texas City to bring awareness to the plight of Texas shrimpers and the shrimping industry in general. Tricia Kimball, whose husband Kyle is president of the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association, explained the effort. The season for the Gulf of Mexico state and federal waters reopens 30 minutes after sunset Saturday, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Kyle Kimball is a third-generation commercial shrimper. He remembers standing on a 5-gallon bucket as a child helping his father pick through shrimp. It’s been his lifelong career but last year when diesel prices hit $5 per gallon, he only went out once because it was too expensive. >click to read< 20:06

Texas shrimpers call for tariffs on cheaper Asian imports

Just days before the start of Gulf shrimp season, harvesters from all along the Texas coast are calling for government action to help them weather a storm of high fuel prices and cheaper foreign imports. More than 100 people who make a living on Gulf shrimp gathered Monday afternoon at the Doyle Convention Center to draw attention to forces they say threaten to sink their industry. Boat owners, dock owners, boat captains and deckhands huddled under a banner with six small U.S. flags to sign in and record their fears in hopes the notes would eventually reach the eyes of the U.S. Congress. Photos. >click to read< 11:41

High fuel prices have Texas shrimping industry at virtual standstill

The price of diesel is so high right now that many Texas shrimpers are struggling, not making money, fearing that they’ll lose their crews if they’re docked much longer. “The majority of the vessels in the gulf, I would imagine they’re either tied up at the dock right now or they’re headed back to the dock, because they’ve run out of the cheap fuel,” said Andrea Hance, executive director of the Texas Shrimp Association. “And it [fuel prices] jumps around every day. If you do the math on that, that comes out anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 just to fill up one of these boats for maybe a 60-day trip. We will not be able to make money on that.” Video, >click to read< 09:13

Low fuel prices may have saved Gulf Coast shrimpers

Texas shrimpers had a painfully low amount of shrimp harvested in the Gulf in 2020. It dropped from an annual average of 45-50 million pounds of shrimp to 38 million pounds. Yet in the beginning stages of a new year, there is interesting news about what actually happened. According to Andrea Hance with the Texas Shrimp Association, “We actually ended the year on a fairy positive note and it’s kind of hard to believe,,, video, >click to read< 16:48

Texas shrimpers say Americans are quitting migrant jobs that are ‘too hard’

Brownsville – Americans taking jobs as shrimpers off the Texas coast are calling it quits, saying the job is just too tough. The jobs they’re quitting are usually filled by seasonal migrant workers, who some companies consider more reliable employees. Shrimping operators claim that federal policies are making it tough to hire more migrants and it’s leading to troubled waters. Some Texas shrimp boats are returning to shore after just two weeks at sea to unload freshly-caught shrimp and newly-hired shrimpers, like 46-year-old Paul Jones. “It’s back-breaking work man,” Jones admitted. “I have too much education for this.” The Mississippi native called it quits after just 17 days on the job. The boat he worked on, the Dorada Cruz, wasn’t supposed to return to shore until mid-August. “The people here, the American guys, you know why they’re not working? Because they feel the same way like I do,” Jones said. “It’s not worth it.” Video  click here to read the story 12:33:40

Texas shrimpers calling on government to authorize more migrant workers

Brownsville – “Buy American and hire American” is a popular slogan often said by President Donald Trump. While many Texas shrimping companies agree with the concept, they claim it’s simply not realistic. The shrimping season is kicking off Saturday with a crippled workforce. Starting off the shrimping season, Oscar Bautista and his crew prepare their nets and tie loose ends as they gear up to sail in uncharted territory.,,, Bautista is referring to the H-2B visa, a migrant worker permit capped yearly at 66,000 people. Half of those permits get issued between March and October. The problem is that the cap was reached within weeks by other industries in need. Life-long shrimper Greg Londrei says that many people across the country are in the same pickle. When the government doesn’t increase the number of visas, companies say that they are left to hire inexperienced American workers who, they claim, pose a greater risk to their bottom line. click here to read the story 12:00