Norman Brown
September 4, 2015
King of the Swamp: ZZ returns home; happy for experience
September 9, 2015
Local shrimpers say the size of shrimp they are catching continues to be healthy and good, with a healthy mix of critters running from 15-30 per pound.
Little in the way of relief from low prices appears likely, and more are taking to social media pages or coordinating with groups like Louisiana SeaGrant to expand their marketing opportunities beyond processors and other commercial docks.
“There’s a lot of shrimp for sale right now through direct marketing,” said Julie Falgout, a Houma-based SeaGrant coordinator in Houma.
A worldwide glut of shrimp, coupled with low prices of imports and other factors have led to a crash in dockside prices, and left fishermen seeking alternatives for selling.
Enterprising fishermen and their family members are using social networking sites as they never have before to let friends and neighbors know what they have for sale, as supplies of good, marketable shrimp remain abundant.
Margie Scott of Bourg is selling shrimp for her husband, Terry, and posts availability on Facebook.
“It all depends on what size he comes in with,” Scott said. “Last trip he had four different sizes.”
It’s the first time the couple has sold shrimp at retail.
It’s the first time for a lot of people. And for some it’s not going quite so well.
Fishing families are learning that there is a minefield of regulations that await them, though many are adapting, if slowly.
Falgout said one shrimping family was selling peeled shrimp in quart
containers, an enterprising alternative but not legal in Louisiana without appropriate licenses.
“We are showing them what they have to do,” said Falgout, noting that another problem with retailing fishermen is their tendency to ask for prices that are too low.
She and other fishermen’s advocates say that it does not make sense for fishermen to bypass the docks and sell direct for prices fairly close to what the docks are selling at anyhow.
Retail establishments like Rouses are selling fresh, head-on shrimp for $5 to $7 per pound. Shrimpers, advocates say, should expect to bring in close to that for their larger sizes.
Undercutting on prices has been a problem for Scott.
“It’s a hard process, ’cause there is a lot of retail going on and fishermen not sticking together on prices,” Scott said. “So when you have a little boat like ours it’s really hard to make a living. We go out, catch shrimp, then come in for about two days to sell shrimp, a lot of driving around trying to find people to buy especially around here due to the big boats selling their shrimp at a lower price just to get rid of so they could go back out.”
Many retailing families say the route they have taken is no panacea.
The realities of the shrimp market crash are taking a toll.
“Now I have to go find a job just to keep our house, the bills, insurance, horses, chickens, dog and cars,” Scott said. “And God forbid any break downs, which that happens very often. We had six last trip.”
A shrimp boat trawls for white shrimp in Lake Pelto shortly after the opening of this year’s season.
