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Panhandle shrimpers, oystermen quitting
©Associated Press
October 15, 2002
PENSACOLA -- Hard times have hit shrimpers, and to a lesser extent, oystermen, in the Florida Panhandle.
Storms, low prices, fuel costs and foreign competition are prompting some shrimpers to quit.
Oystermen on Apalachicola Bay, about 150 miles east of Pensacola, also are in decline because of competition from oyster farming in the Pacific Northwest, Red Tide that threatened Florida's industry last year and news reports of tainted raw shellfish that caused sickness or death.
Shrimp prices have dropped from $1.80 to a $1.50 a pound, said Gerard Patti, owner of Gulf Coast Fresh Seafood. He said yield also is down, with shrimpers bringing in about 150 pounds instead of the usual 400 pounds a day.
Low prices are being blamed on imports, which increased 40 percent last year. Tropical Storms Hanna and Isidore added to shrimpers' woes.
Fewer than 400 oystermen have gone to work on Apalachicola Bay since the fall harvest began Oct. 1. That's barely half as many as 25 years ago. One reason is aquaculture competition that has spread from Japan to the Seattle area.
Apalachicola Bay still accounts for 90 percent of Florida's harvest and 10 percent nationally.
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