A house RESOLUTION

TO REQUEST THE HONORABLE HENRY D. MCMASTER, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, DECLARE AN ECONOMIC DISASTER OF THE DOMESTIC SHRIMPING INDUSTRY AND REQUEST A FISHERY RESOURCE DISASTER DETERMINATION BE MADE BY THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, PURSUANT TO THE FISHERY DISASTER IMPROVEMENT ACT.

Whereas, the Town of Bluffton has a long history of shrimping, which has resulted in extensive economic and social components, with families depending on commercial fishing for generations; and

Whereas, the Town of Bluffton and Beaufort County account for nearly twenty-five percent of the annual amount of wild caught shrimp in the State of South Carolina; and

Whereas, shrimp is one of South Carolina's top four fisheries; and

Whereas, maintaining a sustainable commercial fishing industry is essential to preserving the unique character of South Carolina's local seafood-based cuisine; and

Whereas, sustaining an economically viable commercial fishing industry strongly compliments and promotes the long-term growth of South Carolina's growing tourism industry; and

Whereas, shrimping is of economic importance to a number of coastal South Carolina communities, including the Town of Bluffton; and

Whereas, the fishing and shrimping community contributes to the local tourism-based economy and is an integral part of the local culture; and

Whereas, the Town of Bluffton is a coastal community defined by its natural environment and resources, and sits along the banks of the tidal May River and straddles the unique estuarial environment and ecosystem; and

Whereas, the tidal marshes of Bluffton provide highly productive nursery grounds for numerous commercially and recreationally important species, including shrimp; and

Whereas, the May River is significant to the community today for a number of reasons, including: its numerous natural resource populations that are directly harvested and utilized by local and regional residents; its economic impacts, both direct and indirect, to the community; and its Outstanding Resource Waters designation from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control - Environmental Quality Control's Bureau of Water for a high level of water quality; and

Whereas, the Town of Bluffton has worked with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the University of South Carolina Beaufort to conduct scientific studies to better understand the town's natural resources; and

Whereas, the Town of Bluffton's Comprehensive Plan, Blueprint Bluffton, includes encouraging and supporting ecotourism in the May River Watershed, which has become a sanctuary for shrimp, crabs, oysters, and saltwater fish; and

Whereas, the United States' imports of frozen warmwater shrimp nearly doubled from 2013 to 2021 to an unprecedented level of 1.8 billion pounds; and

Whereas, due to the recent influx of imported shrimp in the United States markets, also known as Shrimp Dumping, the ability of the South Carolina shrimping industry to market and sell wild caught domestic shrimp has been severely affected; and

Whereas, as a result of Shrimp Dumping, shrimpers throughout the region have seen a decline in the value of a shrimp harvest and due to the decline, are struggling to keep their vessels docked, keep employees, and some have been forced to quit the industry; and

Whereas, the magnitude of the economic damage and the rapidity with which the continuation of the decrease of the marketability of domestic local shrimp is an imminent threat to the economies of the Town of Bluffton, Beaufort County, all coastal communities, and the entire American shrimping industry; and

Whereas, the declaration of an economic disaster by the Governor of South Carolina, would allow him to submit a request for a fishery resource disaster determination to be made by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, in accordance with the Fishery Resources Disasters Improvement Act, and

Whereas, this determination would allow for the imposition of controls on the activities that tend to increase the likelihood of economic damage to the economy of the Town of Bluffton and the entire region; and

Whereas, such controls, once implemented, would make financial fishery disaster assistance available to South Carolina shrimpers and have the potential of protecting lives and property by mitigating the threat of preventing the complete destruction of the shrimping economy. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, request The Honorable Henry D. McMaster, Governor of the State of South Carolina, declare an economic disaster of the domestic shrimping industry and request a fishery resource disaster determination be made by the United States Secretary of Commerce, pursuant to the Fishery Disaster Improvement Act.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to The Honorable Henry D. McMaster, Governor of the State of South Carolina.

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