The Texas Shrimp Association kicked off this year’s Gulf shrimp season with the traditional Blessing of the Fleet on July 10, at the Port of Brownsville Fishing Harbor. The commercial Gulf shrimp season officially began on July 15.
Father Mark Watters delivered a powerful sermon and asked the dozens of people gathered at the ceremony to pray for a bountiful harvest this season and for the well-being of all shrimpers while they are out at sea. Among those present at the event were State Rep. Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville, port officials, local shrimpers and representatives from the Texas Department of Agriculture.
This year’s blessing comes at a challenging time for Rio Grande Valley shrimpers who are facing a shortage of workers to go on the boats and help harvest shrimp due to the lack of H-2B worker visas issued by the federal government. There are approximately 180 shrimp boa
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