Lafourche council sides with Southern Shrimp Alliance

The Lafourche Parish Council listened to two shrimp groups plea for the government’s support in their disagreement with each other over one groups request for a federal review on tariffs on shrimp from other countries.

The Louisiana Shrimp Association is a requesting a federal review on the Southern Shrimp Alliance.

Representatives from both groups spoke at last Tuesday’s council meeting, which ended with the Lafourche Parish Council favoring the Southern Shrimp Alliance’s request to withdraw the federal review requests.

The council voted 8-1, supporting SSA’s request for LSA to remove its request for the administrative review.

Louisiana Shrimp Association representatives said fishermen will miss out on money paid from tariffs without the administrative review. Meanwhile, the Southern Shrimp Alliance, made up of eight southern states, said the administrative review could cause a 12- to 18-month delay, hurting local fisherman.

Kimberly Chauvin, a shrimper from Chauvin and a Southern Shrimp Alliance supporter, questioned the Louisiana Shrimp Association’s motives.

“How many more fisherman are you willing to sacrifice?” asked Chauvin. “Evidently, LSA is willing to sacrifice a lot of them. They do not represent Louisiana as a whole, for commercial fisherman, nor do they represent the entire industry. SSA is an eight-state membership. It is extremely important that we keep that visible in Washington, D.C.”

Meanwhile. Dean Blanchard, treasurer for the Louisiana Shrimp Association, said it didn’t matter if the council approved the resolution to request the withdrawal of the federal review.

“Basically, our board says it doesn’t matter how many resolutions are made,” he said. “All you’re going to give them is a piece of paper to go walk around Washington, D.C., with. It isn’t going to do any good, because we’re not going to back off.

“We voted (unanimously) to try to do the same thing we always do,” added Blanchard. “Protect the shrimper. Our job is to protect the shrimper, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Cathy Blanchard, a boat owner from Cut Off, argued passionately for the council to support the resolution. “This is a crucial and important matter,” she said. “I stand before you as a voice for the shrimpers of my parish, and my state, to say enough is enough. Every time the SSA tries to move forward in a positive way and do what is best for the entire industry, we have to deal with the contemptuous LSA.”

Cathy Blanchard went on to call the LSA a “thorn in the flesh.”

When it came time to vote, the council members didn’t say much on the matter, only agreeing it was a “tough decision.” One member said he felt “like a divorce lawyer.”

Councilman Michael Matherne was the lone councilman to vote against the resolution.