Gulf shrimpers want help from congress as fuel costs climb
Gulf shrimpers are seeking assistance from Congress as they face rising fuel costs and declining shrimp prices. Acy Cooper, a longtime shrimper, has had to take on additional work to make ends meet due to the spike in diesel prices. The domestic shrimping industry is struggling, with a significant drop in revenue and a decrease in the number of active shrimpers.
- ▪Fuel costs for shrimpers have increased by more than half in just three months, with diesel prices rising from $3.50 to over $5 per gallon.
- ▪The U.S. Gulf fleet's share of the domestic shrimp market has plummeted from nearly 30 percent in 1984 to just 4.5 percent in 2023.
- ▪Gulf shrimp revenue has more than halved from $489 million in 2021 to $221 million in 2023.
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National Gulf shrimpers want help from congress as fuel costs climb May 26, 20263:18 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered By Drew Hawkins Gulf shrimpers want help from congress as fuel costs climb Audio will be available later today. Acy Cooper eats lunch out of his pickup truck at the Myrtle Grove Marina in Port Sulphur, La. on Friday, May 15, 2026. Cooper had just returned to the marina after a shift ferrying oil rig workers from offshore platforms — a job he's taken because of falling shrimp prices and increasing fuel costs. Jay Marcano for NPR hide caption toggle caption Jay Marcano for NPR PORT SULPHUR, La. — When Acy Cooper finished building a new 31-foot trawler, he had a problem: his wife had just given birth to their daughter. And it's tradition to name boats after a woman.
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