WASHINGTON — Rep. Clay Higgins, who represents parts of St. Mary Parish, has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to begin purchasing wild-caught Gulf shrimp, large portions of which come from Louisiana's coast. 

Higgins, who wrote a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins in January, said that the USDA should wild-caught Gulf shrimp under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which provides support to domestic fishermen who are facing difficulties due to imported seafood dumping and unfair trade practices.

"Our domestic shrimpers face unrighteous competition from the billions of pounds of inferior, imported shrimp that cross our borders each year from nations such as India and Indonesia, which undercut U.S. producers. In fact, recent reports show the recall of potentially radioactive imported Indonesian shrimp across scores of U.S. states. Given these circumstances, I request that you continue the USDA Commodity Procurement program under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act for the fiscal year of 2026,” Rep. Higgins said.

In the letter, Higgins says that Louisiana's shrimp industry is integral to both our state and national economies, supporting approximately 15,000 jobs and generating $1.3 billion in economic activity each year throughout the state.

"According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana shrimpers harvest around 70 million pounds of shrimp annually. However, these 70 million pounds of shrimp are a small fraction of total U.S. shrimp consumption, with imports accounting for nearly 90%," he added.

The full letter can be read here.