Asian shrimp exporters vow to fight U.S. lawsuit

HANOI, Vietnam — Asian shrimp exporters on Thursday said a U.S. anti-dumping lawsuit is an example of blatant protectionism — and vowed to fight to keep overseas shrimp on American dinner plates.

The U.S. Southern Shrimp Alliance filed the suit Wednesday with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission against Thailand, China, Vietnam, India, Brazil and Ecuador.

The alliance, an eight-state group of shrimpers and processors, claims those countries have dumped shrimp on the U.S. market at unfairly low prices, crippling their industry in the United States. They want the government to impose tariffs on imported shrimp.

But exporters from the targeted Asian countries — representing three of the biggest exporters of shrimp to the United States — argue they've done nothing wrong and say the suit is just an example of Americans ignoring free trade to protect their own interests.

A ruling on the suit is expected by mid-February.

"This move goes against the trend of global trade liberalization to which the United States claims they are the champion," said Nguyen Van Kich of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, which has retained U.S. attorneys to fight the suit.

The United States buys the biggest portion of its imported shrimp from Thailand, shipping in about 194,000 tons worth $1.1 billion in 2002, according to Thai figures. Officials there say U.S. sanctions would force them to seek new markets for 30 percent to 50 percent of their shrimp exports.

The Southern Shrimp Alliance claims the value of U.S.-harvested shrimp was cut in half — from $1.25 billion in 2000 to $560 million in 2002 — with a 40 percent drop in employment at Southern shrimp plants. Meanwhile, it says imports from the six targeted countries increased from 466 million pounds in 2000 to 780 million pounds in 2003.