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.