(DELCAMBRE) — As the shrimping capital of Louisiana kicks off its 73rd annual Shrimp Festival, local shrimpers are using the spotlight to raise awareness about the growing challenges facing their industry—from international imports to rising costs and dropping prices.
“They’re killing the shrimp capital right here,” said Marcus LeBlanc, a lifelong shrimper. “The worst thing’s the imports.”
For many consumers, buying shrimp is as simple as a trip to the frozen food aisle. But for shrimpers like LeBlanc, who has been in the business his entire life, that aisle represents a serious threat.
“If you go in a grocery store, you gonna see it—shrimp from Indonesia, Asia, all over,” LeBlanc said.
In Delcambre, ice shortages are just one more hurdle shrimpers face. Without proper storage, they’re often forced to sell their catch quickly—and cheaply.
“We gotta sell ‘em for $4 a pound off the boat—half the price,” he said. “But [people] are gonna go in Walmart and pay that $8.”
LeBlanc now shrimps with his own boat and business, Pappy’s Babies, continuing the tradition started by his father. But he says the market today looks nothing like it did even a few years ago.
“How much are you gettin’ per pound right now?” I asked.
“A dollar forty,” he replied. “You can go buy a pack of bologna — it’s worth more than my shrimp on that boat.”
Even as the Delcambre Shrimp Festival is expected to draw crowds to the docks, LeBlanc said buyers are using the event to negotiate even lower prices.
“We was gonna go in and unload to come start the festival today — they dropped the price 40 cents on us.”
Visitors like Angie Boudreaux and her daughter, Lorie Bergeron, traveled from Baton Rouge to attend their first Shrimp Festival. While they don’t shrimp themselves, they prefer to buy locally in Morgan City.
“Because it’s better—it’s so much better,” Bergeron said.
“And it’s better for the economy—for the local economy,” Boudreaux added. “For the guys who are out there busting their butt, who you can literally walk up to and talk to.”
That kind of connection is what makes the festival and the industry unique, they said said.
“Friday, Saturday and Sunday, boats are lined up right here selling, so you can get your shrimp fresh right off the boat,” LeBlanc said.
Still, the influx of cheap imports continues to undercut local pricing—and LeBlanc doesn’t expect help to come from the state anytime soon.
“We don’t see nothing happening,” he said. “Now if I was a crawfish farmer? We wouldn’t be having this conversation..."
The 73rd Annual Delcambre Shrimp Festival runs Wednesday, Aug. 13 through Sunday, Aug. 17. For more information, click here.
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