Mississippi Business Journal
Hyde-Smith Introduces Bill to Protect Gulf Shrimpers
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Volume 1 Issue 39
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) recently introduced new legislation to help protect American wild-caught shrimp producers from the rapidly growing influx of imported shrimp from Ecuador, which has overtaken India as the source of foreign shrimp, crawfish, and other seafood products.
The Ecuador Shrimp Tariff Act would authorize a multi-phased regimen that increases tariffs on specified shrimp and prepared shrimp products imported from Ecuador, while generating revenue for inspections and strengthening country-of-origin labeling requirements.
“Not much has changed since the federal government found that subsidized Ecuadorian shrimp contributed to material injury to the U.S. shrimp industry, except that Ecuador has only increased its shipments into the American market. As a result, Mississippi shrimpers and their counterparts across the Gulf face greater downward pressure on the prices they can get for their products,” said Hyde-Smith. “The Ecuador Shrimp Tariff Act would work to level the playing field so that American shrimpers and processors can continue to compete and grow.”
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