June 14, 2010
Hike in US shrimp rates good news for shrimpers
US shrimpers whose comb seas are unaffected by the oil-slickened Gulf are seeing a prospect in rising shrimp prices as demand for their catch rises.
''We are getting calls from buyers who haven't bought from us in a while and who are offering more money'', said Rutledge Leland, Owner of Carolina Seafood in McClellanville, South Carolina.
The prices of the shrimp, as reported by the fishermen in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Texas, have increased, as their regions of waters have been left unaffected by the oil spill. The rise of prices had become important as the processing plants that normally buy Gulf seafood, turn to other docks for their supply.
There has been a 30% hike in the prices of frozen shrimp in the last couple of months, as said by the Mayor of the small fishing town, Leland. These figures show a huge leap and had been aided by the April 20 Gulf spill, that has closed about a third of federal waters in the Gulf to fishing boats for fear of contaminated seafood.
