Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., introduced legislation Sept. 30 to increase tariffs on shrimp imported from Ecuador, as Gulf shrimpers continue to face pressure from growing volumes of lower-priced foreign product.

The Ecuador Shrimp Tariff Act would establish a phased increase in tariffs on certain shrimp and prepared shrimp products imported from Ecuador, eventually reaching a 40 percent general duty rate beginning Jan. 1, 2029. The legislation would also direct additional revenue toward seafood import inspections and strengthen country-of-origin labeling requirements.

“Not much has changed since the federal government found that subsidized Ecuadorian shrimp contributed to material injury to the U.S. shrimp industry, except that Ecuador has only increased its shipments into the American market,” Hyde-Smith said in announcing the bill. “As a result, Mississippi shrimpers and their counterparts across the Gulf face greater downward pressure on the prices they can get for their products.”

According to Hyde-Smith’s office, Ecuador has overtaken India as the largest supplier of frozen warmwater shrimp to the U.S. market. The U.S. shrimp industry reported approximately 849 million pounds of shrimp imports during the first six months of 2026, including roughly 316 million pounds from Ecuador.

In addition to the phased tariffs, the bill would impose an additional duty of 10 cents per kilogram on covered shrimp imports. An amount equal to the revenue generated by that duty would be dedicated to inspections of imported shrimp and catfish.

The legislation would also expand country-of-origin labeling requirements for certain cooked shrimp and crawfish products and direct the U.S. Trade Representative to modify the U.S. Schedule of Concessions under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to accommodate the increased duties.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA), which represents shrimpers, processors and related businesses across the eight warmwater shrimp-producing states, welcomed the proposal.

“Ecuador has built its dominance in the U.S. market on unfair advantages, and American fishermen are paying the price,” said Blake Price, executive director of the SSA. “We commend Senator Hyde-Smith for introducing the Ecuador Shrimp Tariff Act.”

Price said the combination of phased tariffs, additional inspection funding and stronger country-of-origin labeling could help address what the organization views as competitive advantages enjoyed by Ecuador’s shrimp industry.

The measure follows several other shrimp-related proposals backed by Hyde-Smith, including the India Shrimp Tariff Act, Save Our Shrimpers Act and Safer Shrimp Imports Act, each targeting different aspects of foreign competition, financing or seafood import oversight.