Gallery: Southwest Florida shrimpers fight to stay afloat
- Evan Williams
- Updated
- 0
Southwest Florida’s Gulf pink shrimp industry is still rebuilding four years after Hurricane Ian devastated San Carlos Island. Go aboard the Big Daddy and inside Erickson & Jensen Seafood as shrimping families unload their catch, adapt their businesses and fight economic headwinds.
Bags of Gulf pink shrimp move along a conveyor as the Big Daddy’s catch is unloaded on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. The shrimp are flash-frozen in brine at sea and stored in the vessel’s hull at about 5 degrees below zero until returning to port.
- Evan Williams
Crew members lift bags of Gulf pink shrimp from the refrigerated hull of the Big Daddy on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. The shrimp are flash-frozen in brine at sea and stored at about 5 degrees below zero until the vessel returns to port.
- Evan Williams
Capt. Michael Frost works aboard the Big Daddy after returning to San Carlos Island with a load of Gulf pink shrimp. The fourth-generation commercial fisherman continues harvesting shrimp as his family works to rebuild its livelihood after Hurricane Ian.
- Evan Williams
A board at Erickson & Jensen Seafood displays the day’s diesel fuel price. Fuel is one of the largest operating costs for shrimp boats, and rising diesel prices are adding pressure to an industry already contending with low dockside shrimp prices.
- Evan Williams
Commercial shrimp boats are docked at Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. The more than 75-year-old company is Lee County’s last remaining commercial shrimping operation following Trico Shrimp Co.’s closure after Hurricane Ian.
- Evan Williams
Big Daddy crew member Wayne Romano cleans the vessel’s galley while in port on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. Romano has worked with Capt. Michael Frost for about two decades and said the solitude at sea is one of his favorite parts of the job.
- Evan Williams
Anna Erickson and her father, Grant Erickson, stand near diesel tanks at Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. High diesel costs combined with low dockside shrimp prices have put additional pressure on the local commercial shrimping industry.
- Evan Williams
Crew members unload Gulf pink shrimp from the Big Daddy on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. The vessel returned with about 55,000 pounds of shrimp after a 24-day trip to fishing grounds more than 100 miles offshore between Key West and the Dry Tortugas.
- Evan Williams
Anna Erickson and her father, Grant Erickson, stand outside Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. The more than 75-year-old company is Lee County’s last remaining commercial shrimping operation following Trico Shrimp Co.’s closure after Hurricane Ian.
- Evan Williams
Bags of Gulf pink shrimp travel along a conveyor as the Big Daddy’s catch is unloaded on San Carlos Island. Southwest Florida shrimpers are trying to remain profitable despite high fuel costs and competition from lower-priced imported shrimp.
- Evan Williams
Crew members pull bags of Gulf pink shrimp from the refrigerated hull of the Big Daddy on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. The vessel returned with about 55,000 pounds of shrimp after a 24-day trip to fishing grounds more than 100 miles offshore.
- Evan Williams
Crew members unload Gulf pink shrimp from the Big Daddy on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. The vessel returned with about 55,000 pounds of shrimp after a 24-day trip to fishing grounds more than 100 miles offshore between Key West and the Dry Tortugas.
- Evan Williams
Anna Erickson looks toward the docks from the front office of Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. Erickson plans to eventually take over the more than 75-year-old family business, Lee County’s last remaining commercial shrimping operation.
- Evan Williams
Bags of Gulf pink shrimp move along a conveyor as the Big Daddy’s catch is unloaded on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. The shrimp are flash-frozen in brine at sea and stored in the vessel’s hull at about 5 degrees below zero until returning to port.
- Evan Williams
Crew members lift bags of Gulf pink shrimp from the refrigerated hull of the Big Daddy on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. The shrimp are flash-frozen in brine at sea and stored at about 5 degrees below zero until the vessel returns to port.
- Evan Williams
Bags of Gulf pink shrimp fill the refrigerated hold of the Big Daddy after its return to San Carlos Island. The vessel brought back about 55,000 pounds of shrimp from its latest trip.
- Evan Williams
Capt. Michael Frost works aboard the Big Daddy after returning to San Carlos Island with a load of Gulf pink shrimp. The fourth-generation commercial fisherman continues harvesting shrimp as his family works to rebuild its livelihood after Hurricane Ian.
- Evan Williams
Capt. Michael Frost stands aboard the Big Daddy with bags of Gulf pink shrimp. Frost and other Southwest Florida shrimpers are confronting high diesel costs and low shrimp prices as the industry continues its recovery from Hurricane Ian.
- Evan Williams
A board at Erickson & Jensen Seafood displays the day’s diesel fuel price. Fuel is one of the largest operating costs for shrimp boats, and rising diesel prices are adding pressure to an industry already contending with low dockside shrimp prices.
- Evan Williams
Workers move bags of shrimp into a container at Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. Shrimping companies are trying to rebuild their businesses while contending with high operating costs and competition from imported shrimp.
- Evan Williams
Commercial shrimp boats are docked at Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. The more than 75-year-old company is Lee County’s last remaining commercial shrimping operation following Trico Shrimp Co.’s closure after Hurricane Ian.
- Evan Williams
A seafood price board at Erickson & Jensen Seafood lists Gulf pink shrimp and other wild-caught local seafood. The company added an on-site retail market as it works to rebuild revenue lost after Hurricane Ian.
- Evan Williams
A sign at Erickson & Jensen Seafood highlights the San Carlos Island company’s Florida shrimp. Local shrimpers are trying to persuade consumers and restaurants to choose wild-caught Gulf pink shrimp over lower-priced imports.
- Evan Williams
Signs and maritime memorabilia decorate Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. Commercial fishing families began building the area’s Gulf pink shrimp industry after discovering productive shrimp beds around 1950.
- Evan Williams
A photograph of the shrimp boat Double E hangs at Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. The company traces its roots to 1950 and continues operating as the local shrimping industry rebuilds from Hurricane Ian.
- Evan Williams
Grant Erickson and his daughter, Anna Erickson, stand at the docks of Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. Anna Erickson plans to eventually take over the family business as it continues rebuilding from Hurricane Ian.
- Evan Williams
Big Daddy crew member Wayne Romano cleans the vessel’s galley while in port on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. Romano has worked with Capt. Michael Frost for about two decades and said the solitude at sea is one of his favorite parts of the job.
- Evan Williams
Anna Erickson and her father, Grant Erickson, stand near diesel tanks at Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. High diesel costs combined with low dockside shrimp prices have put additional pressure on the local commercial shrimping industry.
- Evan Williams
Capt. Michael Frost stands with bags of Gulf pink shrimp aboard the Big Daddy. The fourth-generation commercial fisherman continues harvesting shrimp as his family works to rebuild its livelihood after Hurricane Ian.
- Evan Williams
Crew members unload Gulf pink shrimp from the Big Daddy on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. The vessel returned with about 55,000 pounds of shrimp after a 24-day trip to fishing grounds more than 100 miles offshore between Key West and the Dry Tortugas.
- Evan Williams
Anna Erickson and her father, Grant Erickson, stand outside Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. The more than 75-year-old company is Lee County’s last remaining commercial shrimping operation following Trico Shrimp Co.’s closure after Hurricane Ian.
- Evan Williams
Bags of Gulf pink shrimp travel along a conveyor as the Big Daddy’s catch is unloaded on San Carlos Island. Southwest Florida shrimpers are trying to remain profitable despite high fuel costs and competition from lower-priced imported shrimp.
- Evan Williams
Crew members pull bags of Gulf pink shrimp from the refrigerated hull of the Big Daddy on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. The vessel returned with about 55,000 pounds of shrimp after a 24-day trip to fishing grounds more than 100 miles offshore.
- Evan Williams
Crew members unload Gulf pink shrimp from the Big Daddy on San Carlos Island on Sept. 10. The vessel returned with about 55,000 pounds of shrimp after a 24-day trip to fishing grounds more than 100 miles offshore between Key West and the Dry Tortugas.
- Evan Williams
Anna Erickson looks toward the docks from the front office of Erickson & Jensen Seafood on San Carlos Island. Erickson plans to eventually take over the more than 75-year-old family business, Lee County’s last remaining commercial shrimping operation.
- Evan Williams
As featured on
The pink shrimp are plentiful. The profits aren’t. Four years after Hurricane Ian devastated San Carlos Island’s working waterfront, Southwest Florida shrimpers are battling high diesel costs, cheap imports and a recovery that remains unfinished.
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