Port Arthur Seafarers’ Center and Stella Maris – Diocese of Beaumont hosted a special prayer service on Thursday in honor of the local fishing community and World Fisheries Day. 

“It is an opportunity to step back and appreciate and pray for those who are in our community who are active fishermen and the good deeds that they do in providing us with such an important protein in our diet, they are harvesters. So they are as important to us as farmers themselves,” said Fr. Sinclair Oubre, who led the prayer.

The service hopes to bring attention to the shrimping community of Port Arthur after the recent deaths of two local fishermen and the importing of foreign shrimp causing economic issues for the locals.

Kyle Kimball, president of the Port Arthur Shrimping Association is a third-generation shrimper who has spent 45 years working in the Port Arthur area. He joined The Port Arthur Shrimping Association in order to stay informed and become a presence in the fishing community.

Kimball described the growing need for something to change in the shrimping industry.

“The fishing is just slow,you know you used to have the enthusiasm, the drive. Used to be it was fun to get up and go but you’re paying so much for fuel and other maintenance and the boat and you’re getting left for your product. It kinda takes the drive outta you.” said Kimball 

Historically the Port Arthur area has seen a prosperous community of shrimpers but more recently imported shrimp from other countries such as Vietnam and India have caused the price of shrimp to plummet over the years.  

The lack of youth in the area going into shrimping has also sunk as the industry is no longer seen as profitable as it was before. While shrimping boats have seen a decrease in cost as locals seek to sell their old boats the expenses that come with sailing have risen.

“You are your own boss but you’re not your own boss, because the controller of you is the weather, it’s the buyers, it’s the equipment, the purchases, everything that you gotta have to run this boat with even though you think you’re your own boss,” said Kimball.

Fortunately for the shrimpers, the US International Trade Commission voted in favor of raising the duties on imported shrimp from roughly 2% to 220%. This petition to increase these duties was raised by the American Shrimp Processors Association which is currently composed of over 800 shrimp boat owners. 

Both Kimball and Father Sinclair hope that this shrimp tariff is just one of many steps to revitalize the Port Arthur Shrimping community.