Could shrimp tariffs help rebuild Fort Myers Beach's once-thriving seafood industry, or will they just raise your restaurant bill?
A Louisiana congressman recently proposed raising tariffs on imported shrimp, making it more expensive for foreign seafood to enter the U.S. Currently, some countries impose tariffs of up to 45% on U.S. shrimp exports, while the U.S. only taxes imported shrimp at less than 1%.
Competition from overseas is the biggest challenge for the last remaining shrimp business left on San Carlos Island. Owner Grant Erickson's family's company, E & J Seafood, has been pulling in fresh local shrimp for 70 years. The business survived Hurricane Ian, major damage from other storms and struggled with rising fuel costs.
"Imported shrimp have hurt this industry more than anything else ever has," Erickson says. "I don't like it when somebody claims that it's local shrimp and it's not. It’s farm-raised in some other country."
Many restaurants serve imported shrimp simply because it’s more affordable. Ericksen believes new proposed tariffs on imported seafood could help bring business back to local docks and restore balance to an industry that’s been struggling to survive.
"They’re better-tasting shrimp. It’s a much better product," he said. "They’re worth a little bit extra. We have a lot more than then the local market can can consume."
But that extra cost could also trickle down to restaurants and customers—and not everyone is on board with paying more.
Some say they’d gladly pay a little extra to support local shrimpers, while others worry about the impact on already struggling restaurants.
"I imagine it would be a struggle, especially after seeing the impacts of the hurricanes," said Steven Schwenn, visiting Fort Myers Beach from Illinois with his family. "If restaurants have to charge more, will people still come?"
The ultimate decision may come down to what customers are willing to pay.