BATON ROUGE (AP) — A newly created panel trying to help Louisiana’s ailing shrimp industry is considering ways to brand and market local shrimp and to get available federal aid to the fishermen. The Louisiana Shrimp Task Force held its first meeting Tuesday. It was created by Gov. Bobby Jindal after shrimpers protested on the state Capitol steps twice in the last month to complain about low prices for their product. “Our people are at an end. We need something quick,” said Clint Guidry, with the Louisiana Shrimp Association.
Members of the task force said their agencies are looking to boost inspections to make sure foreign shrimp isn’t being mixed with local shrimp and then marketed as a local product and to make sure foreign shrimp don’t contain potentially dangerous additives. They also talked of federal hurricane recovery and agriculture programs available to aid shrimpers. Rep. Joe Harrison, R-Napoleonville, said the task force also should look at pushing federal price supports for shrimp and should consider ways to investigate allegations of false advertising of foreign shrimp as a Louisiana product. The task force includes representatives from the governor’s office, the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the attorney general’s office and the state agriculture, wildlife and fisheries, health, labor and economic development departments. Representatives of the shrimping industry and the shrimp processors also will be added.
