Brunswick, GA |
It’s officially shrimping season off the coast of Georgia, where crews are hard at work pulling in the more than two million pounds harvested every year. But the number of vessels on the water has now shrunk to a twenty-year low — due in large part to the growing competition from overseas imports.
“Imported shrimp can generally come in at a lower cost, and that is one challenge Georgia shrimpers face. And because of the cost of just keeping a ship running — a fish house, fuel costs, time, workforce — they really need to be able to compete in the market and get the price they need to support their businesses,” said Erin Arneson, Seafood Specialist with UGA Marine Extension.
While ninety percent of the shrimp consumed in the U.S. is imported, there is still meaningful room in the marketplace for Georgia’s local, wild-caught product — and for consumers willing to seek it out, the difference is worth it.
“It’s going to be fresher a lot of times, and it’s really high in nutrients. When you know where your food is coming from, you can also trust the safety of it,” Arneson said. “It’s really good to get to know the people who are producing the food you’re eating — so you can feel good not only about what you’re eating, but about supporting the people who make that possible.”
Supporting Georgia shrimp also means supporting operations like Anchored Shrimp Company, which grades, packs, and peels freshly caught shrimp to meet consumer demand. That kind of processing infrastructure is becoming increasingly rare as coastal development continues to squeeze out working waterfront space.
“The other challenge Georgia shrimpers face is the demand for already peeled and deveined shrimp, which requires a great amount of processing, working waterfront space, water resources, and more,” Arneson said. “As our coastlines change and get developed without thinking about the seafood industry, a lot of that capacity to provide the market with what it wants for domestic shrimp becomes very hard.”
Even though Georgia shrimp may cost a little more at the store, those local dollars go a long way toward supporting an industry that has been struggling for more than a quarter century — and one where domestic supply simply cannot keep up with demand.
“The United States does not currently capture enough shrimp to fulfill consumer demand. Imports will probably always be here,” Arneson said. “But the thing is, we need to make space for Georgia shrimp in the market as well.”
For Georgia’s shrimping communities, the season may be short and the competition steep — but the case for choosing local, wild-caught shrimp has never been stronger.