PORT ARTHUR, Texas, Nov. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The American Shrimp Processors Association (ASPA) is pleased to announce that the US Department of Commerce granted ASPA’s request to initiate Antidumping and Countervailing Duty investigations into imported shrimp from Ecuador, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. ASPA’s petitions generated overwhelming and widespread industry support. Commerce initiated the investigations based on support from both processors and boats demonstrated by ASPA’s own submissions as well as submissions by Ad Hoc Shrimp Trade Action Committee (AHSTAC). In addition to support from its own members accounting for over 85 percent of domestic production, ASPA submitted support forms from more than 850 shrimp boats from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Together, the vessels included in ASPA’s submissions landed the majority of shrimp harvested in 2022. ASPA also submitted support forms for three non-ASPA processors, and AHSTAC filed its own support forms for nearly 50 boats and six processors. Commerce will now determine whether imported shrimp from the subject countries is being dumped and/or illegally subsidized. ASPA expects Commerce to issue preliminary findings and potential preliminary CVD margins by March 2024 and AD margins by May 2024.

Also, yesterday ASPA participated in the preliminary conference at the International Trade Commission (ITC) to determine whether there is a reasonable indication that the domestic shrimp industry is materially injured by imports from the four countries. ASPA presented six total witnesses testifying on behalf of the shrimp harvesting and processing sectors. The ITC is expected to vote on December 8. Anthony Garcia, who testified on behalf of his Texas company’s shrimp fleet of thirteen vessels and 55 employees, notes that “current ex-vessel prices are the lowest we’ve seen in the over 60 years me and my family have been in the shrimp business. Add to that the increased costs of supplying our vessels and we are barely hanging on.” Arny Gollott III, President of the over 90-year-old shrimp company C.F. Gollott & Son Seafood in Mississippi, lamented that “we have lost more sales in the past 18 months than I recall in our company’s history. We regularly see finished import quotes at prices below our cost of production, and we lost an entire restaurant chain customer last year to imported shrimp solely based on price.”

ASPA’s President Trey Pearson stated that “despite the enormous challenges this industry is facing, we believe that we can compete with anyone under fair market conditions. We are honored and grateful that so many in our industry took the time and effort to voice their support for these petitions. We are thankful to Commerce for initiating the investigations and to the ITC for allowing us to present a case on behalf of the entire shrimp industry.”

For additional information about the trade petitions, including a full listing of every shrimp harvester and processor listed on the petitions, please visit https://americanshrimp.com/trade-case/.

Media Contact: 
Edward T. Hayes
504-585-7500
[email protected]

SOURCE American Shrimp Processors Association