Some of America’s commercial fishermen may soon call it quits for good as boats that typically haul in rockfish and perch sit docked for prolonged periods. In Texas, shrimpers are traveling to Mexico just to buy cheaper diesel. And along the East Coast, lobstermen are making fewer trips to their traps. Soaring fuel prices have affected the fishing industry so badly that many of the fishermen are thinking for alternative living.
Fishermen don’t have the flexibility to pass higher fuel costs to consumers like shippers, commercial airlines and other industries. Not only does fresh fish have a short shelf life, but U.S. families can easily substitute their diets with less expensive chicken, pork and beef – even when the cost of meat is rising. Bill Adler, executive director for the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, told that fishermen can’t raise the price due to increase in fuel prices. He added that U.S. fishermen have in recent years faced increasing pressure to keep prices down because of low-cost imports and farmed fish.
Jimmie Ruhle, president of the trade group Commercial Fishermen of America and a third-generation fisherman out of Wanchese, N.C. said that no one is predicting an industry collapse just yet, but fishermen and seafood economists say conditions have deteriorated to the point where some captains are considering leaving the business. University of Alaska fisheries economist Gunnar Knapp said the impact on consumers is hard to predict.
