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Due to the BP Oil Spill, if you are a shrimp lover, your shrimp may come at a higher cost. Shrimpers from the Carolinas, Georgia and right here in Texas say they have been fielding a large amount of calls because of the low supply of Gulf Shrimp.

Many shrimpers say while they welcome the increased business, they don’t like the fact that it has come at the expense of others.

While 90 percent of the shrimp consumed in the U.S. is imported from overseas, most domestic shrimp is caught in the Gulf;  the best tasting shrimp in my opinion.

We don’t have any excess to be sending stuff anywhere else, said one Texas Shrimper.

Despite the price spike, it’s unclear if the trend will help the industry in the long run, said John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, an advocacy group. It’s not known yet how much the spill will harm the national supply, he said.

“If we are down substantially, I’m sure importers will try to step in and take some of the market share,” Williams said.   They have already done that in certain cases.

Clawson’s 1905 Restaurant & Pub in Beaufort, N.C has already started importing shrimp from Asia. As soon as they had the accident, prices went right up,” Clarkson said. “That cuts into the profits of our restaurant. It was killing us.”

Let  us continue to pray for the Gulf!