03/15/2026
A new report from NOAA Fisheries confirms what shrimpers have been warning for years: the U.S. shrimp industry is facing a severe, policy-driven economic crisis.
Despite producing superior-tasting, high-quality, sustainable seafood, American shrimpers are being forced to compete with imports tied to government subsidies, banned antibiotics, forced labor, and environmental shortcuts, which creates an unfair market for our U.S. industries.
The issue isn't the product.
It's the playing field.
The Southern Shrimp Alliance is calling on policymakers to:
• enforce import laws to stop contaminated or unethically produced seafood at the border
• stop financing of foreign shrimp aquaculture
• invest duties into increased food safety testing of imports and U.S. shrimp promotion
• protect the "U.S. wild-caught" label through enforcement
• establish a national seafood office within USDA
For multigenerational fishing families across the Gulf and South Atlantic, this isn't just an industry issue — it's about their livelihoods, coastal communities, and America's food safety and long-term food security.
Without action, the industry continues to disappear.
With a fair playing field, American shrimpers can compete — and win.
Read more: https://shrimpalliance.com/noaa-economic-snapshot-of-the-u-s-shrimp-industry/
