“I could tell you right away if it’s farm-raised or foreign caught. I wouldn’t eat it.” -Terral Melancon

DELCAMBRE, LA — A proposal is making a splash in Louisiana shrimp boats.

Delcambre shrimper Terral Melancon tells me he’s losing money to imported shrimp.

“I catch that shrimp, I can’t even get 80 cents (a pound),” said Melancon. “They flood the market so cheap our shrimp is worth nothing because this country is so flooded with the imported shrimp”

Now Lousiana’s Lieutenant Governor wants to tax imported seafood at 10 cents per pound, but foreign seafood isn’t just cutting into fishermen’s profits. The World Health Organization declared the antibiotics and chemicals found in foreign seafood a global health risk.

“When you inspect less than two percent a lot of bad stuff is getting through.” -“Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser

That’s why Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser introduced the proposal so 50% can be inspected by the FDA.

“It should be more than that. It should be 100% that should be checked”, according to Melancon. “Everything that comes into this country, wild-caught shrimp, I think it should be checked.”

So maybe it’s the first step, but one that could keep us healthy and fisherman happy whenever we take a taste of the coast.

“It will give our local fisherman a little boost in price that will absolutely help their business here in Louisiana and across the coast”, encouraged Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser.

Melancon says none of the shrimp brought in from other countries can compare to Acadiana’s coast.
“When I leave in my boat and go right there to the vermillion bay, and it’s caught wild-caught with these boaters and these nets it’s a lot better.”