Local shrimpers get promotional boost

FLORIDA - Barbera Turnbull was making her rounds to promote Florida's shrimping industry. "We want consumers to be aware of and ask for Florida wild-caught shrimp," Turnbull said recently at Cindy's Placida Fish Market at the Fishery in Placida.

She works for the Florida Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing and was providing local fish markets with promotional materials to boost consumer awareness.

The state has kicked off its "Wild and Wonderful Shrimp from Florida." Turnbull said the campaign's goal is to help raise consumer awareness.

Consumers may have to pay $2 to $6 more per pound than imported or farm-raised shrimp, but the price is worth it. A survey -- which included responses from people in Georgia, Florida, Boston, Chicago and elsewhere -- showed that 82 percent of the respondents preferred the taste of Florida wild-caught shrimp over other shrimp.

"What we want is for people to know what they're getting and to ask for what they want," Turnbull said, urging consumers to confirm what others discovered in the survey. She hopes people will "want" Florida wild-caught shrimp.

Domestic shrimp represents a 12 percent share of the market, but it is big business for the state, providing more than 4,400 jobs and infusing $226 million annually into the state's economy.

Shrimping, like the other Florida commercial fishing industries, is feeling pressure from cheap imports.

Source: SunHerald