US lawmakers push for Thai shrimp tariffs

WASHINGTON, February 2, 2011 (AFP) - US lawmakers from the Gulf Coast pushed Tuesday for an extension of tariffs on shrimp from Thailand and other nations, warning of a dire impact otherwise to a region hit by last year's oil spill.

The International Trade Commission, an autonomous US agency, votes in mid-March on whether to prolong tariffs first imposed in 2005 for "dumping," or selling exports at an artificially low price.

Thailand is by far the biggest exporter of shrimp to the United States, shipping more than 400 million pounds (180 million kilograms) in the first 11 months of last year despite the punitive tariffs.

Lawmakers from the Gulf Coast along with domestic producers told a hearing of the commission that the tariffs -- which would otherwise expire -- should be extended until 2016.

"Repealing these protections would permanently damage our domestic shrimp industry and devastate the hard-working people in Louisiana," said Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat representing the state.

"Family small businesses... are simply no match to large, foreign enterprises dumping significant amounts of underpriced shrimp into the United States," she said.

Senator Thad Cochran, a Republican from Mississippi, warned that an end to the tariffs "could permanently destroy this nation's domestic shrimp industry."

The Gulf Coast, one of the poorest regions in the United States, was hit hard last year by the BP oil spill, the biggest in history, five years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

Representatives from foreign shrimp exporters have campaigned against the tariffs, calling them an unwarranted restriction on free trade and rejecting blame for the woes of the US industry.

Up to half of the fishing industry workers on the Gulf Coast are of Vietnamese descent, according to the community group Asian Americans for Change, which spoke out in support of the tariffs.

Angel Truong, vice chair of the group, told the hearing that her Vietnamese-born father and other fishermen had struggled to earn a living until the antidumping tariffs were imposed and stabilized shrimp prices.

"Now they can earn a fair return on their hard work, support their families and pass the culture of shrimping on to the next generation," Truong said.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-02-02

Angel Truong, vice chair of the group, told the hearing that her Vietnamese-born father and other fishermen had struggled to earn a living until the antidumping tariffs were imposed and stabilized shrimp prices.

"Now they can earn a fair return on their hard work, support their families and pass the culture of shrimping on to the next generation," Truong said.

Very shrewd.

Using your own local Vietnamese to keep Thais and Vitnamese abroad in poverty.

Angel Truong, vice chair of the group, told the hearing that her Vietnamese-born father and other fishermen had struggled to earn a living until the antidumping tariffs were imposed and stabilized shrimp prices.

"Now they can earn a fair return on their hard work, support their families and pass the culture of shrimping on to the next generation," Truong said.

Very shrewd.

Using your own local Vietnamese to keep Thais and Vitnamese abroad in poverty.

Very Uneducated statement.

Give jobs and money to American citizens, then if there is any left over help the foreigners in Thailand and Vietnam. Do you think the Thais give a dam_n about Americans? Why should Americans give a dam_n about Thais. Remember the rest of the world does not make decisions based on what is best for Thais.

My tax dollars at work!

Fishermen are jealous, because their Shrimp they catch are little things. While shrimp over here are huge, and some are ugly to. Even the Prawns they have in the U.S. are little and not worth eating.