March 11, 2023 — From po’ boy sandwiches to jambalaya, etouffee and gumbo, shrimp is a staple in Louisiana’s and New Orleans’ celebrated cuisine.
The small shellfish are big business in Louisiana with 15,000 residents employed in the industry, which has an annual economic impact of $1.3 billion for the state, according to its Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board.
But Louisiana shrimpers who followed their fathers and grandfathers into the trade say it is dying as wild-caught and farm-raised imports from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India into the U.S. have exceeded 1 billion pounds annually in recent years.