The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued questionnaires as the first step in the agency’s preliminary investigation of whether the domestic shrimp industry is materially injured or threatened by material injury by reason of subsidized imports from China, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The questionnaires seek information from both domestic shrimp fishermen and domestic shrimp processors in response to the December 28th petitions for trade relief filed by the Coalition of Gulf Shrimp Industries.
The deadline for submission of completed questionnaires to the ITC is Friday, January 11th. Questionnaire responses can be submitted directly to the ITC electronically using the MS Word version of those documents (with a scanned copy of the signed certification page), by fax to 202-205-3205, or by overnight mail service to the U.S. International Trade Commission, Office of Investigations, Room 615, 500 E. Street SW, Washington, DC 20024. Links to the MS Word and .pdf versions of the questionnaires are listed below; the questionnaires can also be obtained directly from the ITC’s web-site at another link listed below. Those interested in receiving the questionnaires that cannot download these files electronically can call the Southern Shrimp Alliance at 727-934-5090 or contact the ITC’s investigator, Amy Sherman, directly at 202-205-3289 (amy.sherman@usitc.gov).
The ITC encourages the submission of questionnaire responses electronically, as this makes it easier for the agency to consolidate responses in the very short timeframe they have for conducting the preliminary investigation.
The ITC’s transmittal letter that accompanies the questionnaires notes that “The business proprietary information you supply in this questionnaire or in connection therewith will be so treated by the Commission and will not be disclosed except as required by law.” The transmittal letter also explains the purpose behind seeking information from the domestic industry: “Your response will be consolidated with the responses of other firms and will form much of the statistical base for the Commission’s determinations.”
As a practical matter, absent participation from a significant portion of the domestic shrimp industry, determining whether unfairly traded imports have harmed the industry is difficult. The more data provided to the ITC regarding the condition of the shrimp industry, the better the agency’s analysis. While recognizing that the ITC is seeking large amounts of information in a short timeframe, those with a strong interest in the industry are encouraged to complete the questionnaire and participate in the agency’s investigation.
Download a MS Word version of the ITC’s Fishermen’s Questionnaire: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/US_Fisherman_shrimp-questionnaire.doc
Download a .pdf version of the ITC’s Fishermen’s Questionnaire: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/US-Fisherman-Questionnaire.pdf
Download a MS Word version of the ITC’s Processor’s Questionnaire: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/US_Processor_shrimp-questionnaire.doc
Download a .pdf version of the ITC’s Processor’s Questionnaire: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/US-Processors-Questionnaire.pdf
Download the ITC’s Instruction Booklet with General
Information, Instructions, and Directions for Commission Questionnaires: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/US-Instructions.pdf
Access these documents directly from the ITC:
http://www.usitc.gov/trade_remedy/731_ad_701_cvd/investigations/2012/shrimp/prelimphase.htm