|
In one way or another, our family has
been involved in the shrimping industry
since I can remember. When we were too
young to work on the shrimp boats, we
had summer jobs "heading"
shrimp at the local processing plants.
Some family members worked on the shrimp
boats as they got older. After high
school as everywhere else, some went
to college and others became involved
with the local tourist industry, while
others decided to remain with the sea.
Port Isabel, Texas, our hometown, was
founded on the shrimping industry and
for many years was referred to as the
Shrimp Capital of the World. This was
due to the number of vessels and annual
shrimp catch.
Our Catholic Church pays tribute to
the shrimping industry and to the Vaqueros
Del Mar and their families that have
born the spirit of the sea. The church
is named "Our Lady Star of the
Sea." According to the story, a
Vaquero Del Mar found a small statue
of the Mother Mary in the nets as they
were pulled up at sea. The statue was
brought and donated to the local parishthus
the name and legend.
Recent renovations to the Catholic Church
include a mural dedicated to the sea,
marine life, and shrimp boats painted
at the very front and serves as a backdrop
for the priest and worshippers to enjoy.
To add to the scenery, a huge seashell
has been added to pay due respect to
South Padre Island, which is home to
many winter Texans.
It seems that no matter how much time
goes by, once the sea gets in your blood
you will come back to it. Needless to
say, this is a family-run operation
and as any in other business, especially
in this economy and after 9-11, things
are tougher than any time before. We
decided this Web site would allow us
to provide our product directly to our
customers. So you may enjoy the fresh
Texas Gulf Shrimp, the Web site will
connect us to you wherever you may be.
If our fellow Americans are hesitant
to come to where the best shrimp in
the world are, we will ship the best
shrimp in the world to them. This way,
they may have the best of everythinghome,
safety, and the best shrimp in the world.
If you can't tell by now, we are proud
to be Texan, just as you are proud to
be from where you are. We are members
of the Go Texan campaign, which promotes
Texas agricultural products not only
to Texans, but also worldwide. The Go
Texan logo is a certification mark of
the Texas Department of Agriculture
and can only be used by product members
on products grown, processed, or manufactured
in Texas.
We will keep hanging on and sailing
along, despite the slow economy, the
high fuel prices, the huge and overwhelming
farm shrimp imports, and, of course,
the never ending government rules and
regulations that continue to add restrictions
to our industry every year. We favor
maintaining and protecting our marine
life. However, this needs to be done
in a manner where both the marine life
and human life can prosper and continue
to evolve together.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the
time to know us and learn about our
life and industry.
|