Shrimpers, crawfish producers and catfish farmers long struggling to compete against cheaper imported seafood believe they could emerge as winners from President Donald Trump’s trade war.
The catfish industry, shrunken after decades of trade battles with Vietnamese producers, is urging Trump to ratchet up tariffs even higher on imported fish.
Shrimpers who trawl the Gulf of Mexico see tariffs as at least a short-term lifeline. Over the past few years, shrimpers have watched their catch value sink by half, primarily due to surges in imports from Asia and South America.
“That has people tied to the docks, hoping that the price will change and that they can go back to their way of life,” said Deborah Long, a spokesperson for the Southern Shrimp Alliance.
