LOUISIANA (KLFY) – Louisiana Congressman Clay Higgins is taking new steps to help the Louisiana Shrimping Industry’s fight against imported shrimp.

For years, the Louisiana shrimping industry has been over run by cheaper imported products from different countries.

In an effort to combat this, Congressman Higgins is looking to propose legislation that would make seafood being brought into the country meet all the legal standards of our country before being distributed.

Brian Shinault with American Strategic Partners said there is a major issue with the majority of the shrimp that is coming in and being imported not being inspected.

“It is also a safety concern for consumers, so we are in support,” said Shinault. “We will be lobbying Congress in support of this bill.”

Congressman Higgins has reintroduced The Imported Seafood Safety Standards Act in order to tackle the issue of foreign dumping taking over the seafood market in our country.

Shinault said his team wants this to be passed to make sure inspections on foreign seafood products are the same for all distributors.

“The bottom line is that any food that is coming into the United States or Louisiana needs to be inspected. We don’t know where its coming from what additives may be added into the food,” Shinault said.

Shinault acknowledged the importance of the shrimp industry’s role on the Louisiana economy. He said he is pushing for this bill to help local shrimpers compete with the imported products.

“All we are asking for is an equal playing field and we think this bill is going to play a significant role in creating and maintaining that,” Shinault said.

The Imported Shrimp and Safety Standards Act will be addressed in Wednesday’s Louisiana Shrimp Task Force meeting in Raceland, Louisiana.

We will provide updates to what the future looks like for the industry as attempts to revive it continues.