Posted on Aug 5, 2023
Americans love shrimp. But U.S. shrimpers are barely making ends meet
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https://www.npr.org/2023/07/31/ [login to see] /demand-for-cheap-shrimp-is-driving-u-s-shrimpers-out-of-business
The skiff glides through the harbor as the Catholic priest squirts holy water from a plastic bottle onto the colorful hulls of the shrimp boats just off the southernmost tip of Texas.
"Bless this fleet, their equipment, their crew, their captains," intones the Rev. Jesse Garza of Our Lady, Star of the Sea Catholic Church. "Protect them from the dangers of wind and rain and all the perils of the deep. In the name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen."
The annual blessing of the shrimp fleet is overshadowed this year by the painful reality that half of all the vessels getting a benediction will stay tied up. Shrimp remains America's favorite seafood, yet the rugged livelihood of catching shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico is a dying industry. Gulf shrimpers are facing a perfect storm of expensive diesel fuel, an acute shortage of workers and a flood of cheap imported shrimp.
The skiff glides through the harbor as the Catholic priest squirts holy water from a plastic bottle onto the colorful hulls of the shrimp boats just off the southernmost tip of Texas.
"Bless this fleet, their equipment, their crew, their captains," intones the Rev. Jesse Garza of Our Lady, Star of the Sea Catholic Church. "Protect them from the dangers of wind and rain and all the perils of the deep. In the name of the Father, Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen."
The annual blessing of the shrimp fleet is overshadowed this year by the painful reality that half of all the vessels getting a benediction will stay tied up. Shrimp remains America's favorite seafood, yet the rugged livelihood of catching shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico is a dying industry. Gulf shrimpers are facing a perfect storm of expensive diesel fuel, an acute shortage of workers and a flood of cheap imported shrimp.
Americans love shrimp. But U.S. shrimpers are barely making ends meet
Posted from npr.orgPosted in these groups: 
State of Texas
Food/Chow
State of Texas Food/Chow
Posted 10 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...""Well, I'll tell you what my father told me," he says in a South Texas drawl. "He said you got to be a damn sorry cook to ruin a shrimp. Anything you do to 'em is good. I like plain old fried shrimp. You know, a little salt and pepper and flour. Just put 'em in batter and fry 'em."
Back in Port Isabel's heyday, Burnell had 14 boats. Today he has just one.
"The Blood and Guts. She's pretty well known," he says with a hearty chuckle. "Nobody forgets that name."
The Blood and Guts won't go out this season. With the industry in such a sorry state, he can't afford to fix mechanical problems.
Burnell and other shrimpers don't see anything to halt the gloomy trends. Farmed shrimp — now a commodity, like chicken — is plentiful and economical. Wild-caught shrimp has become a pricey, specialty, niche food.
Burnell says Gulf-caught shrimp will never totally disappear.
"There'll always be a mom and pop operation. Like a husband and wife got a little boat, make a couple of drags, come in and have the shrimp on-deck. And they sell 'em to customers right off the boat. Well, they don't have any overhead. They can make it. But you take a boat like this here, we can't do that."
He has some advice for consumers who love that salty taste of wild Gulf shrimp: Ask for it. Or the Blood and Guts may never sail again."
...""Well, I'll tell you what my father told me," he says in a South Texas drawl. "He said you got to be a damn sorry cook to ruin a shrimp. Anything you do to 'em is good. I like plain old fried shrimp. You know, a little salt and pepper and flour. Just put 'em in batter and fry 'em."
Back in Port Isabel's heyday, Burnell had 14 boats. Today he has just one.
"The Blood and Guts. She's pretty well known," he says with a hearty chuckle. "Nobody forgets that name."
The Blood and Guts won't go out this season. With the industry in such a sorry state, he can't afford to fix mechanical problems.
Burnell and other shrimpers don't see anything to halt the gloomy trends. Farmed shrimp — now a commodity, like chicken — is plentiful and economical. Wild-caught shrimp has become a pricey, specialty, niche food.
Burnell says Gulf-caught shrimp will never totally disappear.
"There'll always be a mom and pop operation. Like a husband and wife got a little boat, make a couple of drags, come in and have the shrimp on-deck. And they sell 'em to customers right off the boat. Well, they don't have any overhead. They can make it. But you take a boat like this here, we can't do that."
He has some advice for consumers who love that salty taste of wild Gulf shrimp: Ask for it. Or the Blood and Guts may never sail again."
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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“Forrest Gump” movie had a shrimp scene that explained this. Intense competition, weather and finite population contribute towards a difficult living.
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