Shrimp Tales

  • Public-Private Summit Convenes in New Orleans to Comprehensively Address Challenges in Domestic Shrimp Industry

    New Orleans, Louisiana  July 10, 2019 – Members of the American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) participated in an industry summit on July 9, 2019 at the U.S. Customs House in New Orleans. They joined more than 20 U.S. government officials and members of the Louisiana Shrimp Association and the Southern Shrimp Alliance. The meeting was…

    Read More July 10, 2019
  • Louisiana Restaurants to Disclose Use of Foreign Shrimp and Crawfish

    House Bill 335 Passes Senate Unanimously, Moves to Governor for Signature Biloxi, Miss. May 29, 2019 – In a move to protect Louisiana consumers from “the health risks associated chemicals and residues in imported seafood,” the Louisiana Senate unanimously passed House Bill 335 (34-0) requiring restaurants to disclose whether they serve imported shrimp or crawfish….

    Read More May 29, 2019
  • Increased Tariffs on Chinese Shrimp: What Is the Effect on Wild American Shrimp?

    As the Trump administration moves to significantly increase tariffs on imports from China, the impact on Wild American Shrimp appears to be negligible, the executive director of the American Shrimp Processors Association, Dr. David Veal, said Saturday. “While 90-94% of the shrimp consumed in the U.S. is imported, unlike many products, China’s share of the…

    Read More May 12, 2019
  • ASPA WHITE PAPER: Restaurant Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is Necessary to Prevent Health Risks

    Downloadable PDF version linked here: ASPA COOL White Paper I.      INTRODUCTION & OVERVIEW Americans are consuming more seafood than ever before. US per capita seafood consumption reached 16 pounds in 2017, the highest level since 2009.[1] The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently changed its Dietary Guidelines for Americans to recommend increases in seafood…

    Read More April 25, 2019
  • Shrimp Containing Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Found in Canadian Grocery Stores

    A Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Marketplace investigation has found worrying levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on imported shrimp bought at major grocery stores across Canada. Global demand for shrimp has exploded in recent decades, worth an estimated $39 billion U.S. and growing. Canada alone imports about $700 million in shrimp every year, with the majority of it coming from countries…

    Read More March 18, 2019
  • U.S. Dept. of Labor ‘Sweat & Toil’ App Shows Four Countries Using Child Labor, Forced Labor in Shrimp Production

    Child labor, forced labor and child forced labor are used in at least four countries that supply imported shrimp to the U.S., according to an app created by the U.S. Department of Labor. The U.S. Department of Labor’s app “Sweat & Toil: Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking Around the World” provides a comprehensive…

    Read More March 14, 2019
  • U.S. Rejects Indian Shrimp at WTO

    Original article published by The Hindu Business Line | December 25, 2018  By Amiti Sen India has raised concerns over the increase in rejection of shrimp shipments from the country by the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) owing to its “stringent’’ testing requirements and has asked Washington to address the problem. New Delhi, in…

    Read More December 26, 2018
  • American Shrimp Processors Association Supports Wicker-Coons IUU Legislation Combatting Seafood Fraud

    Caption: From left to right: VADM (ret) Michael T. Franken, United States Navy; RADM Meredith L. Austin, United States Coast Guard; American Shrimp Processors Association Executive Director, Dr. David Veal, Senator Chris Coons (D-DE); and Director of Stimson Center’s Environmental Security Program, Sally Yozell at the recent co-hosted a panel briefing on Capitol Hill on the…

    Read More September 18, 2018
  • New, Food Truck Styled Seafood Distribution Company Launches in West Virginia

    Dock to Table, a new “food truck” styled, wild-caught seafood distribution company, will launch in West Virginia this Friday, Aug. 31, with the goal of providing customers in the surrounding area with the freshest, unprepared seafood available. Since shrimp are the most consumed seafood in the U.S., the company will feature Wild American Shrimp as…

    Read More August 28, 2018
  • Gulf Senators Again Assist Shrimp Sector

    On June 14, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed the Commerce Justice Science funding bill for fiscal year 2019 (FY19). Within that bill were several measures to assist the shrimp sector. First, the CJS Subcommittee provided $1.4 million in implementation monies for the transition of shrimp to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP). Shrimp is included…

    Read More June 19, 2018
  • Senator Vows to Help Shrimpers

    Original Article by Julia Arenstam, Staff Writer, Houma Today/Daily Comet – June 8, 2018 U.S. Sen. John Kennedy told hundreds of shrimpers today that nobody is working harder than him to address the issues they’re facing. Within the next two weeks, the Louisiana Republican said he plans to introduce a bill that will require more…

    Read More June 12, 2018
  • U.S. House Passes Authorization to Include Shrimp in Seafood Import Monitoring Program

      Expected to Pass Senate and Become Law After President Signs Tomorrow   Biloxi, Miss. March 22, 2018 – Today, the US House of Representatives passed the FY2018 Omnibus Appropriations Bill to fund the federal government through September 30, 2018. The House Bill is expected to pass the U.S. Senate and become law after the…

    Read More March 22, 2018
  • Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross Says U.S. Deficit in Seafood Is A “Pet Peeve”

    March 21, 2018 – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross was quoted in Inside U.S. Trade and Politico today. “ROSS KEEPS THINKING ABOUT THAT SEAFOOD TRADE DEFICIT.” Ross said one of his “pet peeves” continues to be the fact that the U.S. has a trade deficit in seafood. “I hate the idea that with all the waters surrounding…

    Read More March 21, 2018
  • Both Sides of the Coin: Part Two

    October is National Seafood Month, when we celebrate the wonder that is seafood. It’s also an appropriate time to continue what I started in a previous post, Both Sides of the Coin Part 1. Do you remember how I started this? I wanted to shed light on the differences between farmed, imported shrimp* and wild-caught,…

    Read More November 3, 2017
  • Both Sides of the Coin: Part One

    I had a hard time writing this. What usually takes a few hours instead took days because it’s a tough topic, and I’m trying hard not to be biased. I’m also splitting this into two separate posts, because there’s a lot to discuss. Here goes. Wild shrimp versus farmed, imported shrimp: what are the differences?…

    Read More July 7, 2017
  • The Young Processing Heir: An Interview

    In a previous post, I pulled back the curtain on the Wizards of Shrimp—the processors, those shadowy figures whose alchemy keeps fresh seafood fresh and available to the most landlocked of locales. I got on the horn with a friend of mine who’s a wiz in the biz and elbow-deep in shrimp, its history and…

    Read More April 6, 2017