KEY TAKEAWAYS: Julia Letlow introduces bill requiring federal agencies to buy U.S. seafood Louisiana shrimp industry faces steep decline due to cheap imports Proposal targets federal programs like school lunches and military supply Industry leaders say legislation could help stabilize prices a nd jobs   Julia Letlow files bill to save Louisiana’s collapsing shrimp industry Congresswoman Julia Letlow said she will file a bill April 16 that would require the federal government to buy domestic seafood only as Louisiana’s shrimping industry teeters on the brink of collapse. The U.S. government spends nearly $400 million annually on seafood for the National School Lunch Program and other food assistance initiatives as well as troops. Acy Cooper of Plaquemines Parish, president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, said the bill could be a major step in saving the state’s shrimping industry if it became law. “If we can’t get the price up, we’re done,” Cooper said in an interview with USA Today Network. “This would be a tremendous help to the industry. It would really make a difference. Right now we’re losing fishermen by the day.” Louisiana shrimpers numbered as high as 20,000 in the 1980s. Today there are fewer than 1,500, Cooper said, as cheap imports flood the U.S. market. Letlow said the government shouldn’t support foreign seafood with federal tax dollars when the domestic industry is struggling. “In Louisiana, seafood is a cornerstone of our economy and a way of life,” she said in a statement. “My Buy American Seafood Act would ensure that taxpayer-funded seafood is sourced from American fishermen and processors, protecting taxpayers from subsidizing foreign countries or adversaries like China.” Letlow also said cheaper foreign imports are often contaminated and could produce safety concerns “I am fighting to stop heavily subsidized, often-contaminated foreign seafood from undercutting our American producers — including those who harvest the finest Louisiana seafood from the Gulf of America,” she said. “By prioritizing American seafood in federal purchases, we can deliver nutritious, high-quality products to families across the country.” Blake Price of the Southern Shrimp Alliance also expressed support for the bill in a statement. “The FDA is encouraging Americans to eat more seafood, and we catch and process some of the best right here at home,” Price said. “Ensuring U.S. funds deliver healthy U.S. seafood through nutritional programs is a win for our children, fishermen and coastal economies.” Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1. This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Julia Letlow files bill to save Louisiana’s collapsing shrimp industry Reporting by Greg Hilburn, Shreveport Times / Shreveport Times USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect ...read more read less