But the price could soon be going even higher. Texas shrimp fishermen are headed to Austin, to protest restrictions, they say, will put them out of business. Texas shrimpers are fighting a proposed fishing ban, designed to protect endangered sea turtles and other marine life. Texas Parks and Wildlife proposes to ban shrimping out five nautical miles from the coast, all the way from Corpus Christi to Brownsville. Biologists hope the no fishing zone, will restore shrimp and other fish populations that are threatened by overfishing.
Shrimpers see it as more government interference in their business.
There's been a shortage of shrimp this year, and the price in restaurants is going up. Shrimping is a tough business, with lots of restrictions. Shrimpers are already required to tow teds, turtle exclcuder devices, to allow turtles to escape from shrimp nets. And there's talk of other nets, that allow fish to escape as well. For every million pounds of shrimp that are caught, 5.5 million pounds of other creatures are also caught, they usually die.