Kemah Slippers
Laugh!
Posted on 07/07/2004 2:57:40 AM PDT by BellStar
Welcomed news from the U.S. Commerce Department Tuesday. For those who may have missed it, the Bush administration announced proposed tariffs on shrimp imports from China and Vietnam.
This comes after finding that companies were dumping shrimp into the United States at artificially low prices.
While we are usually cautious to call for such trade actions, Tuesday’s announcement by the Commerce Department is actually long overdue. Free trade is a good thing, when all sides play fair.
Chinese and Vietnamese companies are not doing that. That is why we think the actions of the Bush administration, albeit we are sure with a slight bit of political overtones, are the correct ones.
So, what does that mean for you?
Well, chances are good prices for the shrimp you eat will go up. They should not go up that much, but do be prepared to see a hike at your local seafood stand.
Those rising prices however should actually come in line with what the true market price for shrimp should be. At the same time it should give an important industry to our local economy a much needed even playing field.
Well, if not even, at least better conditions in which to compete.
Think about that the next time you head to the local seafood stand. Just where are your fish coming from?
Paying a little bit more for local shrimp and fish products does more than help the local shrimper. It helps the guy who the shrimper buys gasoline from.
It helps the local store the shrimper buys clothes for his kids. It helps the local car dealership where the shrimper goes to buy a new car or truck.
Chances are good it helps the place where you work because the majority of the local shrimpers we talk to make it a point to shop here at home.
There are no guarantees as to what impact if any these proposed tariffs will have or if and when they will be imposed. So chances are good there will be no relief for local shrimpers this summer or that the price of a shrimp cocktail at the Kemah Boardwalk will go up any before Labor Day.
Still, Tuesday’s actions went a long way to send an important message to other countries that the United States is all for free trade when it is actually free trade and not manipulated trade.
But it should also send us all an important message here locally. When you go out to eat or stop by the seafood stand to purchase shrimp, ask the server if what you are buying is Gulf Shrimp or imported shrimp.
If the answer is imported, maybe you could suggest to the shop owner or restaurant manager that you would prefer local shrimp.
That, we think, would have a bigger impact on equaling the balance of trade than waiting for the government to impose tariffs. It’s just another way of saying we would rather shop at home and see our money stay in the community.
— T.J. Aulds
Get ready to pay more for shrimp.
It seems we pickand choose what tarriffs are allowed, If those tarriffs hurt our Frog friends or Europeans they are bad if they hurt the Asians they are ok. I agree with this tarriff although I sure was enjoying the cheap shrimp, but I agreed with the steel tarrif the liberals squealed about also. It seems Democrtas like Hillary decide to take away something from us for the common good it depends on who's friends they hurt.
And the irony is that many Vietnamese are shrimpers in the Texas Gulf.
I haven't seen the details on the shrimp tariff. And depending on what it is or isn't it may or may not be appropriate.
I don't have a big issue with Vietnam, they are an up and coming producer. (With respect to Shrimp, not so-called-catfish) But Chinese communists are definitely not playing fair. Their state owned aquaculture industry is massively subsidized as a way to gain hard currency for the gov't. A huge portion of China's positive TB is in private investment, the gov't only gets a slice of it. The aquaculture industry is mostly state owned.
One of the most eggregious aspects of this is that they are using USDA genetic selection program shrimp as stock. We have taxpayer subsidized research into selecting shrimp with good growth and disease tolerance in aquaculture environments. These improved strains of shrimp have massively improved the Chi-coms aquaculture industry. After tens (hundreds?) of millions of taxpayer funded research, the Chicoms bought miproved broodstock shrimp for a few hundred bucks. Another aspect of the dumping are the trace anti-biotics. The EU blocked all Chinese shrimp when there were trace amounts of banned for human consumption anti-biotics found, but they were under the threshhold of American standards. So it all got dumped here.
How this all plays out is what is an appropriate tariff. If it is narrowly targetted at the Chicoms, I fully support it, and it won't have much effect on shrimp price. If it is too broad, especially if it affects countries like Ecuador and Thailand, then it is trade protection and is inappropriate.
Heads up!
Kemah Slippers
Laugh!
Mexico is dumping "cheap" laborers on Americans. Can we get some action on that too so the cost of labor will "come in line with what the true market price" for labor "should be"?
Didn't think so. Our nation's politicians are SO bought.
Not me. The Jumbos are already out of my price range - $12.99 per pound.
Let's all take a moment to recall that the price of shrimp skyrocketed when the enviros pushed through a drag-net ban in florida.
I give up.
How long overdue, are increases to tariffs?
A week? Two weeks? How was that determined?
...
The duty on imported shrimp is how much, now?
The proposed duty is how much?
Numbers, please.
This is an action that impacts locally, at least on the coast. For or against? It would be interesting to know where DeMint stands on this one too.
Go to the google news section, put in the words "shrimp, commerce" and you will get a plethora of articles.
Thank you for your informed information and comment. I am mostly against tarrifs and such and ultimately think that the consumer should get the ultimate benefit. Also if the govt. would get out of the way maybe a domestic shrimp farming industry could develop.
Here is a link to an Associated Press story about this.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/040706/shrimp_dumping_8.html
WTF?
113 percent duty on Chinese shrimp?
I thought that China was a 'most-favored-nation'???
We well save a Freeper table for you!
Thanks for the information. I am getting an education about the shrimp industry. Looks like the chicoms could just switch thier production to Central America, wish they were Central American owned, though.
I feel sorry for the shrimp boaters, but progress keeps marching on and consumers should be able to share in that.
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