One of Petersburg’s seafood processors is trying to see if there’s a market for their small shrimping operation.
Shrimping used to be a robust industry in Petersburg. The state’s first shrimp plant started there in 1916, but the market ceased being profitable and the last plant closed down ten years ago.
Still, co-owner of the local seafood processor Tonka Seafoods, Seth Scrimsher, says the product is special.
“There are very few cold water shrimp left in the world,” Scrimsher says. “It’s mostly warm water shrimp or farmed shrimp. And the cold water shrimp is known for a sweeter flavor.”
Tonka Seafoods is a locally owned business located just outside of downtown Petersburg and they think they may have found a new shrimp market in Iceland and England.
“We need to see if we can freeze them fast enough and maintain the quality and ship it to the buyer as cheaply as possible to work under their budget constraints,” Scrimsher says.
Although there is a strong domestic market for pink shrimp, Tonka doesn’t have the equipment to process it yet but Scrimsher says with luck, that could one day be happening too.
