blog - NCCATCH

Here's why you can't miss this Shrimp Boil

Shrimpers are in crisis. Native Citizen chef Walker Sullivan is showing delicious support with at a traditional shrimp boil 6 to 9 p.m. June 14 at Rebus Cafe & Grocery, 301 Kinsey #2, in Raleigh.

"When I read about everything they're dealing with, I just wanted to help," Sullivan said.

Part of proceeds from the 6-9 p.m. event will benefit NC Catch, and tickets are on sale now for boils serving one, two or three pounds of shrimp! Plus, potatoes, corn on the cob and our state's own Nahunta smoked sausage, all served with Cajun butter and cocktail sauce. Sullivan arranged this event himself, then surprised NC Catch with the news that he was taking on this important cause!

Cheap, imported shrimp has been flooding the American market, driving prices for locally sourced shrimp to record lows at a time when fuel prices and inflation have burdened commercial fishing families throughout the South Atlantic and Gulf Coast states. Many have been forced to dock boats because they can't move high-quality, local shrimp in a market overrun with shrimp from overseas. A whopping 1.7 billion pounds in 2023 alone, much of it from Ecuador, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, Seafood Source reported.

Imported seafood prices are so low that a famous Mississippi coast restaurant recently pleaded guilty to passing off frozen, foreign seafood as fresh Gulf catch. Unfortunately, more than 90% of the shrimp we eat is farmed overseas, Food Print reported, as dealers seek cheap product, no matter the low the quality, instead of premium shrimp harvested in local waters that U.S. consumers prefer. A new report shows overseas shrimp farms often engage in forced labor, child labor, environmental destruction and poor sanitation practices.

Local and state governments are pressing the federal government to declare a fishery resource disaster, Coastal Review reports. But there is one absolutely certain way to make sure you get nothing but the best local shrimp: Demand it wherever you purchase seafood. And don’t buy anything else! Question markets and restaurants about where they source seafood. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t make a purchase. Trust your gut. Support local businesses like Native Citizen that only use local seafood.

“Native Citizen was formed to support and spotlight out farmers and fishermen and WE STAND BY IT,” Sullivan wrote on Native Citizen’s Instagram page. “We will continue to do our part in supporting these hardworking fishermen by buying and selling North Carolina shrimp,”