U.S. commercial shrimp fishermen are asking federal trade officials to block imports of shrimp they allege are produced using forced labor in India, arguing those imports contribute to unfair competition that has battered the domestic shrimp industry.

Shrimp fishermen supported by the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) filed a Section 337 complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on Oct. 28, asking the agency to investigate whether alleged forced labor in the supply chains of Indian seafood producer Nekkanti Sea Foods constitutes an unfair trade practice that harms U.S. shrimp producers.

“Forced labor is not a competitive advantage; it’s an inhumane practice that must end,” SSA executive director Blake Price said in announcing the complaint.

The SSA pointed to investigations and reports alleging forced labor throughout portions of India’s shrimp supply chain, including a three-year study released by Corporate Accountability Lab in 2024. The U.S. Department of Labor also added shrimp from India to its 2024 List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor.

The complaint seeks action under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which gives the ITC authority to address unfair acts or methods of competition involving imported goods that injure or threaten a U.S. industry.

For domestic shrimpers, the filing is also the latest attempt to address the flood of lower-priced imported shrimp entering the U.S. market.

According to the SSA, India supplied 52 percent of all peeled shrimp and 40 percent of all frozen warmwater shrimp imported into the United States in 2025. The alliance argues that existing antidumping and countervailing duty measures do not address the competitive advantage allegedly created through forced labor.

The group said falling Indian shrimp prices have contributed to declining prices throughout the U.S. market. According to the release, the value of the domestic shrimp industry fell by half between 2021 and 2023, while state shrimping licenses reached record lows by 2024. The number of commercial shrimp licenses in the Gulf of America has fallen to less than one-third of the level recorded in 2000, the alliance said.

“This case aims to pressure India’s shrimp aquaculture industry to remove forced labor from their supply chains to access the large U.S. market,” Price said. “Unfairly traded shrimp undercut American shrimpers, who are leaving their cherished, multigenerational way of life to make ends meet.”

The complaint follows previous efforts by the U.S. shrimp industry to bring concerns about imported shrimp and alleged labor abuses to federal agencies, including the Department of Labor and the Food and Drug Administration.

The ITC now has 30 calendar days to determine whether to institute an investigation. According to the Southern Shrimp Alliance, commissioners are expected to make that decision by Nov. 27. An eight-day public comment period will follow publication in the Federal Register.