That way of life is changing willy nilly regardless of the importing of foreign shrimp. The prime fishing andd shrimping grounds in the Gulf are down close to Mexico within the "commercial sea limit" subscribed to some years ago by the US government. That recognition cut off most of the commercial fishery in the Gulf to American boats. When those big seagoing shrimpers and snapper boats all started fishing inshore from Florida to Texas the stocks were depleted pretty quickly and for a while one could be treated to the ludicrous sight of 60-80 foot shrimpers dropping thir booms inside the bays where pereviously only little boats worked. There quickly followed lots of Regulation and Limitation on catch and net size and shape and the industry declines from year to year and no amount of protection will arrest that decline.
Farming and imports ARE the future for shrimp if its consumption is not to be limited to the affluent. If the Gulf industry properly markets its product as premium and sells it as such then the existence of "inferior" imports will increase the customer base for the good stuff.