Late last month the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved changes to its shrimping rules allowing fisherman to keep crustaceans alive for sale to growing in lucrative markets in major American cities.
Previously, shrimp caught around the peninsula had to be killed, iced or directly frozen before being sent to retailers and wholesalers. The move comes after years of Florida fisherman being forced to compete with cheap Asian shrimp and is expected to be an avenue to seize higher prices.
"The value of shrimp in general has plummeted as imports have surged," said Deborah Long, a spokeswoman for the Southern Shrimp Alliance which represents shrimpers around the Gulf of Mexico. "There's dumping, there are antibiotics used in farming to grow shrimp in less-than-healthy environments, and there's forced labor in Indonesia and Thailand all causing the price of shrimp to be as low as it is."
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