Are shrimp prices on the way up? (re: oil spill)

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

Curious about the effects of the current gulf oil spill nearing Louisiana.

(I was curious about predicted economic effect and tried to find some shrimp futures for a sense of things but they seem to only trade in the winter.)

Are fish prices in general affected? I don't know that much about the economic products of Louisiana waterways.

[madaboutharry]

1. Most of the shrimp we have now comes from shrimp farms in China.

[Mari333]

4. sludge shrimp from china, toxic, too...

[pipoman]

2. In the whole scheme of commercial fishing

the area of the gulf effected should have virtually no effect on the larger commodity fish/seafood market. It will likely effect some of the local fresh market, not the much larger packaged and fresh market, IMO.

[pampango]

3. If Big Shrimp has its way.

;)

[babylonsister]

5. According to this, yes, and the economic impact will be devastating...

Also, if the slick goes west, the same applies. I know TX has a huge shrimp industry.


snip//

The worry is most acute in south Louisiana, where the oil is closest. The seafood harvested in the gulf and in the brackish maze of waterways inland is more than a big industry — it is a defining element of the culture, and a crucial tourist draw.

At stake, local fishermen said, is the fate of Louisiana's $1.6-billion seafood industry — and a way of life.

"I've got no backup," shrimper Rob Canty said Wednesday morning as he applied a layer of primer to his dock-bound boat, the Isaac James, in the fishing town of Venice. "This is all I ever did — shrimp, crab, oysters. If shrimping was bad, we'd go crabbing. If crabbing was bad, we'd go oystering. Now we might not have anything to fall back on."

Dave Cvitanovich, who operates a couple of oyster boats out of Empire, La., was worried about changes in the taste of his catch. So was his cousin Tommy Cvitanovich, owner of beloved Drago's Seafood Restaurant in suburban Metairie.

"My livelihood is in oysters," Tommy Cvitanovich said.

Ralph Portier, a professor at Louisiana State University who teaches aquatic marine toxicology, said earlier Wednesday that much was unknown, but it was unlikely that the slick would destroy the entire seafood industry.

more...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-spill-20100429,0,7063120,full.story

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

6. excellent info. Thanks.

[doc03]

7. I'm sure they will, along with gas prices, insurance rates

and they will probably find some reason to raise citrus prices. I predict the Republican states around gulf will want those taxpayers dollars to help clean up the mess. Drill Baby Drill!

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. What the real issues is isn't that we won't be getting Gulf shrimp at a reasonable price

Which we won't. But rather all the people in that region who depend on Gulf seafood for their livelihoods. Not to mention all the creatures who depended on it for their lives.

Most Americans will be getting the same "deals" on frozen bagged imported shrimp from Asia they've been getting in the past. Oyster prices, however, will be impacted pretty heavily.

[no_hypocrisy]

9. My concerns would be will your shrimp's origin be disclosed when it's sold?

Would you knowingly purchase and consume it if you knew it might have come from oil-slick waters? And how could you trust the shrimp that you order at a restaurant?

Same with oysters and crawfish and any seafood from that region.