The Texas House of Representatives’ Trade, Workforce & Economic Development Committee recently advanced two significant measures supporting the state’s shrimp industry, which provides over 14,000 jobs and generates approximately $850 million annually.
On April 23rd, the Committee unanimously (11-0) approved HCR 76, a resolution authored by State Representative A.J. Louderback (R-HD30) and co-authored by State Representative Terri Leo-Wilson (R-HD23). The resolution observes that an unprecedented surge of cheap, farm-raised imported shrimp has imperiled the industry, driving dockside prices to record lows, and causing shrimp boats to remain tied up throughout the Texas coast. It further recognizes the significant risk to public health posed by imported shrimp, particularly due to the continued use of banned veterinary drugs in foreign shrimp aquaculture and the inadequate response of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA), which tests less than one percent of all seafood entry lines imported into the United States. Noting that the “sustainability of the domestic shrimp industry is crucial to the survival of many small, family-owned businesses and to the stability of Gulf Coast communities” the resolution “urge[s] the federal government to curb the mass importation of foreign shrimp into the United States to protect the Gulf Coast shrimp industry from unfair competition and to protect consumers from substandard shrimp that does not meet U.S. health standards.”
The Committee also considered substitute language for HB 2343. This bipartisan bill, jointly authored by State Representatives Terri Leo-Wilson (R-HD23), Christian Manuel (D-HD22), Janie Lopez (R-HD37), Oscar Longoria (D-HD35), and Todd Hunter (R-HD32), and co-authored by State Representatives Erin Gamez (D-HD38) and Richard Hayes (R-HD57), amends Texas’s Health and Safety Code to require anyone selling shrimp in the state to clearly identify whether that shrimp is imported, including food service establishments and restaurants.
Genetic testing by SeaD Consulting, commissioned by the Southern Shrimp Alliance earlier this year, exposed widespread seafood mislabeling in the Galveston and Kemah dining scene, where 59% of tested restaurants (26 of 44) were found to serve imported shrimp despite claims, implications, or menu descriptions suggesting they were offering wild-caught Gulf shrimp. The bill further prohibits state agencies and school districts within Texas from serving imported shrimp. If enacted, the legislation would pose no additional burden to taxpayers because, as determined by the Director of the Legislative Budget Board, “[n]o significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.”
HB 2343 has garnered significant support, with in-person testimony from representatives of the Texas Shrimp Association and SeaD Consulting, as well as more than 140 written comments submitted from communities across the state. Letters of support for the legislation poured in from geographically diverse Texas communities, including Alvin, Anahuac, Austin, Bacliff, Baytown, Beach City, Beaumont, Brownsville, College Station, Conroe, Crystal Beach, Dickinson, Galveston, Harlingen, High Island, Hitchcock, Houston, Katy, Killeen, Kirbyville, Lago Vista, Laguna Vista, LaPorte, League City, Livingston, Los Fresnos, Lumberton, Magnolia, McKinney, Montgomery, Mount Belvieu, New Braunfels, Orange, Palacios, Pasadena, Pearland, Plano, Port Bolivar, Port Isabel, Port Neches, Porter, San Antonio, San Benito, San Leon, Santa Fe, South Padre Island, Spring, Sugar Land, and Van Vleck.
Although the legislation was left pending before the Trade, Workforce & Economic Development Committee following the hearing, the Committee’s consideration of the bill demonstrated broad-based support for allowing Texans to make informed choices at restaurants regarding shrimp menu items.
“The Southern Shrimp Alliance applauds the commitment shown by members of the Texas House of Representatives to the state’s shrimp industry,” said John Williams, the executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “Groups like the Texas Shrimp Association and the Port Arthur Area Shrimpers Association have shown how important shrimpers remain to the coastal economy and culture of Texas. Likewise, Texas remains a vital market for the entire U.S. shrimp industry’s catch. We look forward to seeing these legislative initiatives progress further through the state legislature.”
Read HCR 76 here: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/HC00076I.pdf
Read HB 2343, as initially introduced, here: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/HB02343I.pdf
Review the fiscal note accompanying HB 2343 here: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/HB02343I-Fiscal-Note.pdf
Access all 142 written comments submitted in support of HB 2343 here: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/HB02343H-Public-Comments.pdf