It has been hurt by imports of inexpensive farmed shrimp, economically burdensome regulations, and overinvestment that has swelled the fleet to an unsustainable size. Shrimpers are fishing longer and catching less than ever before. Too many boats in too little area. It's put a lot of us out of business and there have got to be some changes made or a lot more of us are going down,'' said Golden Meadow shrimper Michael Callais. The rest of the Gulf catch has had similar problems.
Red snapper is protected by some of the toughest rules in the region.
Fishing it is banned most of the year. Meanwhile, imports from Mexico and other countries that have no similar restrictions have come to dominate the market and have driven down the price, which has dropped as much as 27 percent since the 1980s. Snapper fisherman Ron Anderson, also of Golden Meadow, has seen his crew of three reduced to one. His son went to work at a shrimp shack, and another regular crew member found a construction job at a local Wal-Mart. These days Anderson sometimes gets help from his wife and grandson.