- New Iberia shrimpers struggle to compete with low-cost shrimp imports
- One shrimper currently takes a 30-hour boatride just to get ice, in order to keep his product fresh
- He is urging people to come down to the docks and buy from local fisherman, instead of hitting the grocery store.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
<RENE GREGOIS HAS BEEN A SHRIMPER AT THE PORT OF DELCOMBRE SINCE THE 80S. BUT HE SAYS, HE'S NEVER SEEN A SHRIMPING SEASON LIKE THIS.
"I've been shrimping all of my life and I tell you what I never thought it would get this bad...this is the worst I've ever seen."
RIGHT NOW HE SAYS, THE SHRIMPING COMMUNITY IS STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH THE COMPETITIVE PRICING OF IMPORTS.
"What it is is they're buying the import shrimp so cheap, and that's why they're not paying nothing for our shrimp. If we wouldn't sell to the public we wouldn't make it."
ON TOP OF THE STRUGGLE TO MAKE A SALE, SOMETIMES SHRIMPERS GO DAYS OUT OF THEIR WAY FOR RESOURCES...
"Especially in Delcombre here, it's hard to get ice; we gotta ride 30 hours to Dulac to get ice."
BUT HE DOES IT BECAUSE HE WANTS ONLY THE BEST FOR HIS CUSTOMERS.
"I love the water I love the seafood, and right now, I love selling to the public."
THAT'S WHY GREGOIS WARNS CONSUMERS THAT 'YOU NEVER REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING' WITH IMPORTED SHRIMP.
"They all labeled 'Gulf Shrimp' but they really not. Stop the importing, and buy gulf shrimp."
GREGOIS URGES COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO HEAD TO THE FINAL TWO FARMERS MARKETS OF THE YEAR... HAPPENING SATURDAY NOV. 4TH AND SATURDAY DEC. 2ND.
IN DELCOMBRE. ANNA FISHER. KATC TV3.>
