SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) - Georgia state lawmakers are making a bigger push to help local shrimpers compete with the massive import business by introducing House Bill 117.
State Representative Jesse Petrea spoke with News 3 and said that he wants local consumers to know where the food on their plate is coming from.
According to Petrea, 96% of shrimp eaten here in America is imported. In his opinion, the shrimp industry locally is suffering from "unfair trade" practices.
Steve Anderson runs a small shrimp operation in Savannah. WSAV talked with him at Bull River Marina. He said it's hard for him to compete, since he feels most restaurants are looking for the cheapest product.
"Most of my business comes through individual sales to individual customers, because I can get the price that I need to survive," Anderson said.
Anderson said that the price of their shrimp hasn't gone up, even though he's paying more for most things, like the cost of fuel for the boats.
"In fact, I've been selling shrimp for the same price since the 1980s," he said.
The competition is beating Anderson out, even though he feels his product is a higher quality.
Petrea said he wants consumers to know what they're eating. House Bill 117 would require businesses to show consumers in writing on their menus exactly where their food is coming from.
"If a consumer can look on a menu and see that a product is from Thailand, they can say okay, I know where it's coming from, and I can make that decision," Petrea said.
The bill has had its first hearing. Committee members can now review it in detail and suggest changes.
"I hope it ultimately helps the local shrimper and in turn would help our local economy," Anderson said.