A Georgia shrimp boat owner hopes tariffs will revive local fishermen
DARIEN — Brian Richburg sensed an opportunity in 2020 when he purchased Miss Kristin, a commercial shrimping trawler.
Gasoline was cheap. Shrimp prices were climbing. And along Darien’s famed docks, veteran boat operators were retiring or leaving the volatile industry. As a successful charter fishing boat captain, Richburg thought he’d timed the market.
Then came the 2020 election, post-COVID-19 inflation and a surge in imported shrimp.
“When President Trump left office, it took the power away from us in this industry,” Richburg said. “Fuel, materials and everything else that allows us to go shrimping went up, while shrimp prices stayed the same. But that’s about to change.”
Richburg and others tied to Georgia’s shrimp industry anticipate a strong 2025 once commercial shrimping resumes in late May or early June. Donald Trump is back in the White House, and his 10% tariffs on imports and an executive order signed April 17 meant to boost American seafood production has Georgia shrimpers eager to get their nets in the water.
The federal action is likely to disrupt a market currently dominated by foreign shrimp farmers in Asia and Latin America who account for 90% of the shrimp consumed in the U.S.
The glut of cheap shrimp left Georgia shrimpers “just about for dead,” Richburg said. On the Darien waterfront only two shrimp docks remain, and one of those is about to close.
Georgians react
To gauge the effects of the administration’s first 100 days, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke with residents who have lived with the results. Amid a blitz of executive orders, tariffs, lawsuits, layoffs and funding cuts, they’re exhausted, thrilled, scared, hopeful. Here are their stories:
An Emory research study on Alzheimer’s comes to abrupt halt
Shrimp boat owner hopes tariffs will revive local fishermen
From hopeful foster mom to unemployed CDC worker
Pardoned Jan. 6 defendant wants Democrats punished
Her husband was arrested by immigration agents
DEI rollbacks threaten Atlanta woman’s work
Tariff ‘gloom and doom’ for Atlanta wine seller
Atlanta entrepreneur steers clients through trade war
AJC poll: Trump’s support sinks in Georgia as economic fears rise
“Now there’s hope for those of us who stuck it out,” he said.
Richburg hopes that a wild-caught shrimp renaissance will last. Shrimp is now the most popular seafood in the U.S. but he suspects many consumers don’t appreciate the difference in taste between his catch and the pond-raised shrimp.
“We know that plump, sweet shrimp is superior, but we live on the beach,” he said. “It might take a while, but we’re hopeful we’re going to gain back the business.”
More coverage of Trump’s effects on Georgia
The first 100 days: Georgians are scared, thrilled about changes
CDC cuts factor into Georgia Senate race
More logging in Georgia’s national forests? It’s possible under a new directive
After layoffs, federal employees navigate uncertain job market
Afraid of church: Some immigrant faithful stay away on Sunday
Georgia protests show growing resistance against Trump administration
About the Author
Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
