Save Our Shrimpers Act remains stalled in Congress

(The Center Square) − Nearly six months after it was introduced, the Save Our Shrimpers Act remains stalled in the House Committee on Financial Services, despite growing frustration from Gulf Coast lawmakers and domestic shrimpers who say foreign competition — subsidized in part by U.S. tax dollars— is driving their industry to the brink.

The bill, introduced in March by U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and backed by 17 bipartisan co-sponsors from shrimp-producing states like Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina, would prohibit federal funds from being used by international financial institutions to support foreign shrimp farms or processing facilities.

"American shrimpers, including those in my district, are struggling to stay afloat due to an excess of foreign shrimp flooding our markets," said Nehls. "Worse, American tax dollars are being used to finance foreign shrimp farms, which are driving our own shrimpers out of business."

The legislation is a response to decades of complaints from the domestic shrimp industry, which has watched imported farmed shrimp from countries like India, Indonesia, and Vietnam overtake U.S. markets.

A 2023 report from the Southern Shrimp Alliance found that the U.S. Treasury Department's delegation to the World Bank supported 89% of shrimp-related aquaculture projects it reviewed — despite federal law instructing opposition to funding commodities in global surplus that harm domestic industries.

"By cutting federal funding to international institutions that contribute to foreign shrimp farming, we are giving our domestic shrimpers a level playing field," said U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins , R-La., one of the bill's lead co-sponsors. "We must ensure that taxpayer's hard-earned treasure goes to the American people, not subsidizing foreign shrimpers."

Shrimpers say they've been undercut not just by cheaper imports, but by massive development grants awarded to foreign seafood conglomerates.

Promarisco, a leading Ecuadorian exporter, received $60 million through such programs, while India has secured more than $370 million in shrimp-related development assistance since 2005.

Meanwhile, U.S. support for domestic producers has been comparatively modest — $50 million in seafood processing grants nationwide in 2022.

"These foreign farms don't face the same seasonal or environmental constraints as our fishermen," said Dave Williams of SeaD Consulting, who has advised Gulf shrimp producers. "They can flood the market year-round, driving prices down to unsustainable levels."

The stalled bill comes despite a recent wave of tariff actions by the Trump administration designed to protect the industry.

In the past two months, the administration has imposed new tariffs of 25% on shrimp imports from India, 20% on Vietnam, and 19% on Indonesia—the three largest shrimp exporters to the U.S., which collectively supply nearly two-thirds of the American market.

"This is a turning point," said Southern Shrimp Alliance Executive Director John Williams. "President Trump's announcement offers a path forward for our industry. It allows shrimpers to get back to work harvesting a wholesome, nutritious product for American families."

Still, shrimpers and their advocates argue tariffs alone won't solve the problem if taxpayer dollars continue flowing to international financial institutions that bankroll foreign aquaculture.

"The government is fighting us with one hand and helping us with the other," said Williams. "Ending federal support for foreign shrimp farms is just common sense."

Supporters of the Save Our Shrimpers Act say they will keep pushing for a committee vote when Congress returns from recess, but with election-year politics and a crowded legislative calendar, the bill's future remains uncertain.

"Every day we wait, more boats are tied up, more families are forced out of the business," said Nehls. "We've got to get this done."