On May 13th, by a vote of 92 yeas to 0 nays, the Louisiana House of Representatives adopted House Resolution No. 205 to “[u]rge and request the United States Department of Agriculture to utilize the Commodity Procurement program under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act to purchase domestic shrimp from Louisiana shrimpers.” House Resolution No. 205 was subsequently enrolled and signed by the Speaker of Louisiana’s House on May 18th.
The House Resolution explains that “Louisiana’s shrimpers and processors are currently facing severe economic hardship due to increased imports of foreign shrimp, rising operational costs, and market instability,” while the purchase of “Louisiana shrimp under Section 32 authority would provide immediate economic relief to domestic shrimpers while ensuring that high-quality, American-produced seafood reaches families in need.”
The Resolution further argues that “exceptionally high fuel costs combined with the influx of imported seafood from foreign countries have led to challenging times for hardworking Americans, and the USDA Commodity Procurement program will provide a much needed lifeline to sustain the shrimp industry for the 2026 season.”
Other Calls for USDA Section 32 Purchases of Shrimp
As explained in the House Resolution, Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) sent a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, requesting that the USDA make Section 32 purchases of shrimp in fiscal year 2026. Representative Higgins’ January 28th letter highlighted the harm caused by import competition and the vital assistance provided by the USDA’s Section 32 purchases in the past:
“Our domestic shrimpers face unrighteous competition from the billions of pounds of inferior, imported shrimp that cross our borders each year from nations such as India and Indonesia, which undercut U.S. producers. In fact, recent reports show the recall of potentially radioactive imported Indonesian shrimp across scores of U.S. states. Given these circumstances, I request that you continue the USDA Commodity Procurement program under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act for the fiscal year of 2026. In prior years, it has helped stabilize domestic shrimp prices and given shrimpers a lifeline during challenging times for the industry. Shrimping is a vital part of our economy and certainly worth supporting and conserving for future generations.”
Last week, in a meeting with the USDA’s newly-formed Office of Seafood, American shrimpers described the practical impact of Section 32 program, explaining that the federal agency’s shrimp purchases allowed boats to absorb operational expenses assured that there was a market for a significant portion of their catch upon return to the dock. Fishermen informed the USDA that prior purchases had given them the economic security to work, contributing significantly to their businesses and the economies of their communities.
These purchases also provide healthy, high-quality protein to vulnerable populations in America, with domestic, wild-caught shrimp included in assistance programs during the current federal fiscal year. As the USDA explained in a Federal Register notice published last week, the agency “expects to make available for donation to States for use in providing nutrition assistance to the needy under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026,” and reported that “[a]pproximately $358 million in surplus foods purchased in FY 2025 are being delivered to States in FY 2026” including shrimp.
Significant funds appear to be available to the USDA for Section 32 purchases in the current fiscal year and in future fiscal years. In fact, the funds available under Section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. § 612c) – an annual, permanent statutory appropriation for which funds may be used only for commodity program expenses – are estimated by the USDA (p. 23-101) to increase substantially in fiscal year 2027, from $25.2 billion in FY 2026 to $81.8 billion in FY 2027.
“The Southern Shrimp Alliance joins the Louisiana Legislature and Congressman Clay Higgins in calling for USDA Section 32 purchases of shrimp in FY 2026,” said Blake Price, Director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “In the face of relentless competition from unfairly-traded imports, this important federal program has allowed shrimp boats to leave the dock and put food on the table for commercial fishermen and needy families around the country. Announcing another round of Section 32 purchases is something that the USDA could do immediately to provide meaningful assistance to shrimpers unsure if they will be able to work this season.”
Historical USDA Section 32 Purchases of Warmwater, Wild-Caught Shrimp
Since 2020, the USDA has made purchases of domestic warmwater wild-caught shrimp in five of the last six fiscal years, totaling over $126 million. Outside of fiscal year 2022 / calendar year 2023 when no purchases were made, the USDA has purchased over $23 million in shrimp annually on five different occasions pursuant to its Section 32 authority.
The USDA has purchased significant quantities of shrimp from multiple businesses located in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, providing essential support for processors in those states as well as shrimpers throughout the Gulf of America and South Atlantic. As the USDA has continued to make purchases of shrimp, the number of suppliers has increased, with ten different companies receiving Section 32 purchase awards in 2024 and 2025.
USDA Section 32 Purchases of Domestic Warmwater Wild-Caught Shrimp by Type
September 2020 — $25,140,000
Product forms (4):
- 31/50 count peeled and deveined shrimp in five-pound blocks ($418,500);
- 31/50 count peeled and deveined shrimp in two-pound bags ($15,124,500);
- 51/70 count peeled and deveined shrimp in two-pound bags ($7,587,000); and
- 21/35 count shell-on tail in two-pound bags ($2,010,000).
Suppliers (3):
- Consolidated Catfish Producers LLC of Isola, Mississippi ($3,328,500);
- Lafitte Frozen Foods Corp. of Lafitte, Louisiana ($2,541,000);
- Ocean Select Seafood, LLC of Cecilia, Louisiana ($17,040,000); and
- Sea Pearl Seafood Company, Inc. of Bayou La Batre, Alabama ($2,230,500).
September 2021 — $24,777,000
Product Forms (3):
- 31/50 count peeled and deveined shrimp in five-pound blocks ($1,404,000);
- 51/70 count peeled and deveined shrimp in five-pound blocks ($11,745,000); and
- 51/70 count peeled and deveined shrimp in two-pound bags ($11,628,000).
Suppliers (3):
- Lafitte Frozen Foods Corp. of Lafitte, Louisiana ($756,000);
- Ocean Select Seafood, LLC of Cecilia, Louisiana ($20,763,000); and
- Paul Piazza & Son Inc. of New Orleans, Louisiana ($3,258,000).
December 2022— $23,646,300
Product Forms (2):
- 21/30 count peeled and deveined shrimp in two-pound bags ($11,644,200); and
- 31/50 count peeled and deveined shrimp in two-pound bags ($12,002,100).
Suppliers (4):
- Consolidated Catfish Producers LLC of Isola, Mississippi ($1,159,500);
- Lafitte Frozen Foods Corp. of Lafitte, Louisiana ($6,352,500);
- Ocean Select Seafood, LLC of Cecilia, Louisiana ($4,716,000); and
- Paul Piazza & Son Inc. of New Orleans, Louisiana ($10,621,200).
January 2024 — $28,095,115.50
Product Forms (3):
- 21/30 count peeled and deveined shrimp in two-pound bags ($9,185,400);
- 31/50 count peeled and deveined shrimp in two-pound bags ($12,994,915.50); and
- 51/70 count peeled and deveined shrimp in two-pound bags ($5,914,800).
Suppliers (8):
- C.F. Gollott and Son Seafood, Inc. of Biloxi, Mississippi ($1,078,050);
- Dulcich Inc. of Clackamas, Oregon ($379,315.50);
- Gulf Pride Enterprises of Biloxi, Mississippi ($127,500);
- Lafitte Frozen Foods Corp. of Lafitte, Louisiana ($5,072,400);
- Ocean Select Seafood, LLC of Cecilia, Louisiana ($4,015,200);
- Paul Piazza & Son Inc. of New Orleans, Louisiana ($14,831,700);
- Sea Pearl Seafood Company, Inc. of Bayou La Batre, Alabama ($822,000); and
- Tommy’s Seafood, Inc. of New Orleans, Louisiana ($1,768,500).
March 2025 — $24,735,015
Product forms (3):
- 21/30 count peeled and deveined shrimp in two-pound bags ($10,334,940);
- 31/50 count peeled and deveined shrimp in two-pound bags ($10,063,665); and
- 51/70 count peeled and deveined shrimp in two-pound bags ($4,336,410).
Suppliers (6):
- Bayou Shrimp Processors of Delcambre, Louisiana ($1,160,145);
- C.F. Gollott and Son Seafood, Inc. of Biloxi, Mississippi ($157,500);
- Lafitte Frozen Foods Corp. of Lafitte, Louisiana ($2,979,000);
- Ocean Select Seafood, LLC of Cecilia, Louisiana ($5,107,305);
- Palmer Foods, LLC of Bayou La Batre, Alabama ($862,500); and
- Paul Piazza & Son Inc. of New Orleans, Louisiana ($14,468,565).
Additional Resources
Review details of the USDA’s prior purchases of domestic warmwater wild-caught shrimp here: https://www.ams.usda.gov/open-purchase-request?field_term_grades_and_standards_target_id=865
Read Congressman Clay Higgins’s (R-LA) January 28, 2026 letter to the Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, here: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1.28.26-usda-section-32-letter-of-support.pdf