How has the 2005 hurricane season impacted the Gulf shrimp industry?
Even before the 2005 hurricane season, the shrimp industry and its supporting infrastructure were undergoing economic hardships caused by increased fuel costs and reduced shrimp prices. Many vessel owners stopped fishing or even went bankrupt. While government actions regarding imported shrimp products have helped, additional measures must be taken to stabilize the domestic fishery. The number of vessels shrimping in the EEZ has declined (from approximately 4,000 in 2000 to approximately 2,500 in 2005) and economic projections indicate the number of shrimp vessels will decline until at least 2012. The decrease in participation is not the result of the permit moratorium as proposed in Amendment 13 but rather the economic climate of the fishery vessels are simply not profitable. Stabilizing the number of vessels in the fishery would allow fishermen the opportunity to harvest a greater proportion of the annual shrimp crop and increase their economic returns. This would better meet the Cou
