As local Alabama economies continue to grapple with COVID-19, one hit particularly hard has been Alabama’s seafood industry as restaurants have scaled back operations and limited demand.

One part of Alabama’s seafood industry that faces a dual-threat from China, not only as a result of a coronavirus that originated from Asian superpower but because of its business practices as well, are Alabama’s shrimpers.

During an interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show,” State Rep. Chip Brown (R-Hollinger’s Island) discussed the local economy’s recovery from the COVID-19 slowdown and the threat shrimpers in his House District 105 face from China.

“On the tourism side, right now, Dauphin Island is really doing well,” he said. “You know, people pent up not being able to travel for so long that the rental market is doing well. Restaurants are open. You know, they had some staffing issues there for a while. Of course, all restaurants are having those problems across the country. But the economy down there is rocking and rolling. The seafood industry, of course, took some hits. But all of that is starting to balance back. They need a lot of help with deregulation and preventing imports from China on the shrimping side. But agriculture is the same way. People have to eat. They were affected by a lot of the restaurants closing, of course. But I would say things are picking up for sure.”

Brown encouraged listeners to do their best to purchase seafood from Alabama producers when possible.

“[A] lot of your shrimp imports are from Vietnam, China, South America — that sort of thing,” Brown said. “When you buy local, when you buy Alabama seafood, you know what you’re getting. You’re getting shrimp from the Gulf. It’s the same shrimp that you would buy from the guy that has the pick-up truck parked on the side of the road selling it out of a cooler. You’re helping the local economy. You’re helping those people that are reliant on the seafood industry for their livelihood that spans generations going back. I think it’s important. I always encourage restaurants to buy local, to buy their seafood from Alabama seafood producers. Look for that when you go into a market — look for American-packaged, produced shrimp or seafood — fish, as well.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.