The amount of shrimp coming in from Mexico is on the rise.
According to the Texas Shrimp Association, around 60 million pounds of shrimp are harvested in Mexico and imported into the U.S. every year. They say that the amount of shrimp coming in from importers on the other side of the border is growing beyond belief.
“The 60 million pounds has increased pretty rapidly fro 40 million pounds just over the last few years, and we’re seeing a lot of that shrimp imported from Mexico crosses or is imported at a border in Arizona,” said Andrea Hance with the Texas Shrimp Association.
With the economic shutdown due to COVID-19, shrimpers in the Gulf of Mexico are already in a world of hurt.
“A lot of restraints either have closed their doors or we’ve seen a switch to them using a cheaper product to which would be imported shrimp. So, the value of our shrimp, Texas shrimp has plummeted,” Hance said.
A little over 90 percent of shrimp consumed in America is imported from other countries.