A 25% tariff on shrimp from India is shaking up the seafood industry and drawing praise from Texas shrimpers and one Gulf Coast congressman.
“Our domestic shrimpers, including those in my district, have struggled to compete against the unprecedented amount of foreign shrimp that has been imported into our country for far too long,” said U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX). “By imposing a 25% tariff on imports from India, President Trump is demonstrating that the United States of America won’t be taken advantage of … I applaud President Trump’s decisive action that puts American shrimpers first.”
The White House announced the new tariff, effective August 1, as part of a broader push to rebalance U.S. seafood trade and revitalize the domestic shrimping industry. India, which accounted for nearly 38% of all shrimp imported into the U.S. last year, sends over $2 billion worth of farm-raised shrimp annually, according to federal data cited in a recent press release from the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA).
The SSA, a Gulf- and South Atlantic-based group representing shrimpers and processors, hailed the move as a “vital lifeline.”
“Indian shrimp imports have devastated the U.S. commercial shrimp industry,” SSA Executive Director John Williams said. “President Trump’s announcement of significant additional tariffs on imports from India offers a vital lifeline to shrimpers across the Gulf of America and South Atlantic that allows them to go back to work, harvesting a wholesome, nutritious product for American families.”
The new duties build on recent U.S. trade actions against other major shrimp suppliers. Earlier this year, the Trump administration imposed tariffs of 19% on shrimp from Indonesia and 20% on Vietnamese shrimp. Together, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam accounted for nearly 65% of all U.S. shrimp imports in 2024, according to the SSA.
In addition to the new tariffs, imports from these countries are already subject to antidumping and countervailing duties. Supporters of the policy argue that U.S. shrimpers, unlike their foreign competitors, are subject to strict environmental and labor rules and are struggling to stay afloat in a glutted global market.
Nehls, who represents parts of southeast Texas and has long championed the local fishing industry, has introduced legislation targeting what he calls unfair foreign competition. His Save Our Shrimpers (SOS) Act seeks to prohibit U.S. funds from going to international financial institutions that support shrimp farming in countries like India and Ecuador.
The new tariffs target the overcapacity created by those aquaculture projects abroad in Latin America and southern Asia.
The stakes are high. According to SSA figures, the U.S. imported $2.3 billion worth of shrimp from India alone in 2024. Meanwhile, dockside prices for domestic shrimp have plummeted, forcing hundreds of Gulf Coast shrimp boats to sit idle. Retail prices, however, have stayed high since the COVID-19 pandemic, a disconnect flagged in a 2024 report by the Sustainability Incubator.
Williams says the global system has long favored low-cost imports over domestic production, often without regard for labor practices, antibiotic use, or environmental degradation.
“Most seafood importers, retailers, and restaurants went after the cheapest possible supply they could find,” he said, “increasing their margins no matter how unethically this seafood was produced or brought to market.”
The SSA asserts that Trump’s actions represent a “fundamental shift” in seafood trade. “While most seafood categories historically faced no or minimal duties, resulting in an effective duty rate of around 1-2%, the $150 million in calculated duties on $2.4 billion in seafood imported in May exceeded 6% with the imposition of reciprocal tariffs,” an SSA press release states.
Whether the tariffs will lead to long-term gains for U.S. shrimpers remains to be seen. A blog post on the libertarian think tank, CATO Institute, website states, “tariffs tend to raise prices, reduce economic activity and efficiency, and invite foreign retaliation and domestic political dysfunction.”
But supporters like Nehls maintain the policy is a matter of economic survival for coastal communities.
“If you don’t do something to help us, it’s over for us,” Nehls recalled being told by local shrimpers during an interview with The Dallas Express last fall. “Our American shrimpers are being squeezed to the point that they’re going to lose their businesses.”
Five East Texas counties—Galveston, Matagorda, Calhoun, Chambers, and Jefferson–have issued shrimp disaster declarations or resolutions because of the economic distress Texas shrimpers are facing, the Texas Observer reported in late 2023.
According to the SSA presser, foreign competition, aided by multilateral development banks, has been a primary driver of that squeeze. The group points to a dramatic rise in Ecuadorian shrimp imports since 2019 as evidence of how taxpayer-supported global financing has distorted markets.
“Redirecting taxpayer dollars to fund our competition through multilateral banks is sinking our industry,” Williams said in a statement previously reported by DX.
The new tariffs mark one of the Trump administration’s most significant moves yet in reshaping seafood trade. Whether it marks a turning point for the U.S. shrimping fleet will depend on enforcement — and whether new investment follows in America’s fishing towns.
The SOS Act has been reintroduced for the 2025–2026 legislative cycle but remains stalled in the House Committee on Financial Services.