Roll up your sleeves people, and start eating some Louisiana shrimp. The fishermen of Louisiana need your help. Come on, it’s not that big of a labor of love when Louisiana shrimp is rumored to be some of the best shrimp in the world.
Many of us don’t stop to wonder where the seafood we are eating comes from. It seems only natural that it comes from Louisiana, being that we live in what’s been deemed “Fisherman’s Paradise” on all Louisiana license plates. But according to the White Boot Brigade Web site, which is made up of a group of Louisiana shrimpers who advocate buying Louisiana shrimp, 70 percent of the shrimp we eat comes from many countries, including China, Thailand, India, Ecuador and Vietnam.
Take a deep breath. Calm down. This is shocking information, so don’t feel embarrassed about the overwhelming emotions.
The fact of the matter is that the Louisiana shrimping industry has been struggling to stay afloat since the year 2000 when the Central American Free Trade Agreement was passed, which allowed imported shrimp to be sold at a much cheaper price. The price of gasoline rising dramatically and not showing signs of stopping has only worsened the shrimpers’ financial strife.
According to an article from the Times-Picayune in 2003, the price of Louisiana shrimp dropped by one-third of the price it was between the 2000 shrimping season and the 2001 season. In the summer of 2001, the prices were the same as those of the 1970s, selling large shrimp for less than $2 a pound in some cases.
You may ask why Louisiana shrimp is so much better than the rest. Look no further than the good old Food and Drug Administration. Cheap, imported products do not have to meet FDA standards. So basically, anything goes. That’s really gross when you think about it. Who wants to eat seafood that is cloned and mass produced with antibodies, pesticides and hormones?
Local Louisiana shrimper Dean Blanchard with the Louisiana Shrimp Association is convinced that cheaper, farm-grown imports are filled with these potentially harmful chemicals that no one even tries to monitor.
Wild, harvested shrimp from the brackish waters of Louisiana have absolutely no antibodies, hormones or pesticides in them, which means that not only are they much yummier, but your tummy won’t feel like a washing machine on the spin cycle after you eat them.
According to Savvy Gourmet chef Corbin Evans, freshness is the key to wonderful seafood dishes.
“Having the fishermen catch the shrimp in the morning and then cooking it that evening is the best,” he says.
That’s about as fresh as the new Outkast movie. Knowing the producer is also important to Evans. Getting his shrimp from his neighbor ensures that he gets the best quality.
Blanchard said he is quite upset that he has to work twice as hard to pull in the money he was making five years ago for a great product, and I understand. Louisiana is always priding itself on its excellent cuisine, but many restaurants have no problem marketing “Louisiana seafood” cooked with Chinese shrimp. That’s just wrong.
If you’re going to jump on the Let’s Exploit Louisiana Culture train, at least support the fishermen who are trying to hold onto their culture, which is truly indigenous to Louisiana.
Don’t get me wrong here. I love many restaurants that serve Louisiana-style food. I just get so angry when I hear that the lifestyle of shrimpers all over Louisiana is being threatened because thousands of restaurants in Louisiana are serving foreign seafood that is not nearly as good of a product as Louisiana shrimp. That just doesn’t make sense, people.
So next time you order a shrimp po-boy demand that those shrimp come from Louisiana. If you don’t, I hope you are stuck in the bathroom for hours.
