October 15, 2014 — Dock owners say they have done what they could to keep prices at a fair rate, but that the market overall is causing low prices.
Battered by squalls that tore across the Louisiana coast Monday, Ronnie Anderson of Montegut kept his 60-foot trawler steady in waters south of the Atchafalaya River.
Anderson, a veteran fisherman, counted his blessings for safety through the storms and for what have been good catches of white shrimp.
But like other local shrimpers, Anderson is still dismayed by what he said are the lowest prices in a while.
“God has been good to us,” he said. “We have been blessed with what’s turned out to be a good season.”
Rene LeBreton, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, said it’s too early to supply numbers on the shrimp catch for this season.
“We are usually a few months behind on the numbers because we spend so much time on our protocols,” she said.
The season, which began in August, is expected to run through mid-December.
Between now and then, Anderson and other fishermen are hoping for a break in price, however.
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