BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) – Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser praised the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) following reports that the federal government will purchase up to $25 million in Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic wild-caught shrimp.

With nearly one-third of the seafood consumed in the United States harvested fresh from Louisiana waters, the goal is to provide relief to the seafood industry, which in Louisiana, has suffered loss and damages from multiple catastrophic setbacks.

Our shrimping industry has been battling natural disasters such Hurricane Ida in 2021, a record influx of imports, inflation, increased fuel costs, and record low shrimp prices. This is a step in the right direction when it comes to getting them the help they need. We have the best seafood in the world and our seafood industry deserves support which in turn could keep them in business.

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser

Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board Executive director Samantha Carroll also said that “This will help keep our shrimpers in their boats and in business. However, we still have work to do to get our entire seafood industry the assistance it deserves.”

More information on Louisiana Seafood can be found here.