It’s brown shrimp season in Louisiana, but there are fewer trawl nets catching them these days. Acy Cooper is President of the Louisiana Shrimp Association and says a way of life that many in the state have taken for granted may be in danger of fading away.
Cooper points to rising fuel costs coupled with diminishing returns as major reasons many shrimpers are hanging up their trawl nets for good. “It’s hard to comprehend, we used to have around 20,000 licenses. This business was thriving,” he noted. He now estimates there are only about 1,400 fishermen still catching shrimp in Louisiana’s waters.
“It’s just unreal the price level from the boat to the dock,” Cooper says. He points to a growing number of area fishermen having to retire in the current conditions because they simply can’t keep their heads above water.
Fewer fishermen can afford to keep the trade going locally
Fewer fishermen can afford to keep the trade going locally
