BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. (WPMI) — Bayou la Batre’s mayor is praising President Trump’s tariffs and says they may help save the state’s seafood capital. Barnes says the shrimping industry has been decimated by cheap foreign imports, and he estimates that tax revenue for the city is down 40%. He even wrote President Trump after the election and warned him that the city is dying because of low or non-existent tariffs on imported shrimp.
“It’s a domino effect. It’s guys on the shrimp boat. That’s four people. That’s four families. You’ve got the processing plants that hire anywhere from 40 to 60 people. That’s 40 to 60 families, depending on it. You got the trucking industry, you got the marine hardware industry, and the fuel industry, it goes on,” said Barnes.
President Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on Wednesday, including 26% on India, 10% on Ecuador, 32% on Indonesia, and 46% on Vietnam. Those are the top four shrimp exporting countries, according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance
“Anytime their cost goes up, it’s going to raise their price, and it’ll push our product back up,” said Graham Shrimp Company owner Ernie Anderson.
Anderson spoke to us while attending American Shrimp Processors’ Association meetings. He says people there are optimistic.
“Of course, you’ve got to see where all this is going to settle in. You know, the initial numbers, whether that’s going to be where it’s at,” said Anderson.
The Southern Shrimp Alliance says 94% of shrimp consumed in the U.S. is imported. India and Ecuador supply nearly 70% of all U.S. shrimp imports.
