USDA awards major shrimp, walleye contracts

As part of promised efforts to aid domestic wild shrimp suppliers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is purchasing nearly USD 23.7 million (EUR 22 million) worth of shrimp.

This fall, U.S. Representative Garret Graves (R-Louisiana) announced the USDA planned to purchase USD 25 million (EUR 23.6 million) worth of Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic wild shrimp.

Graves said the purchases will provide relief to Louisiana’s shrimp industry, which he said has faced several recent hardships: Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters, repeated openings of the Bonnet Carre Spillway, unfair trade practices, illegal dumping of chemicals, inflation, higher fuel prices, and supply-chain issues ...