How local consumers will be affected by a federal shrimp dumping tariff on China and Vietnam may not be known for some time, but the regulation should help keep boats operating at docks in Beaufort County.

Fishermen and others in the shrimp industry have complained for more than three years about the drastically reduced price of shrimp, claiming foreign nations that dump vast quantities of farm-raised shrimp on the U.S. market have been their downfall.

In December 2003, shrimpers from eight states filed an anti-dumping petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce, aimed at imports from abroad.

On Tuesday, the Commerce Department upheld penalty tariffs on shrimp imported from the two nations.

It's still not certain whether the department will rule on a proposal to impose tariffs on imports from Brazil, Ecuador, India and Thailand -- four of the largest shrimp-producing nations in Asia and South America.

Last year, the Southern Shrimpers Alliance and the S.C. Shrimpers Association sued the six foreign countries for illegally dumping shrimp and lobbied for stricter tariffs to give South Carolina's lagging commercial fishing industry another chance to survive.

More than 85 percent of the shrimp that Americans eat comes from overseas markets, and 75 percent of shrimp imports originate in these six countries.

Tuesday's announcement has caused criticism from Asian nations, which have denounced the U.S. restrictions as harmful to trade.

Asian nations aren't the only people complaining. Objections come from restaurants, importers and seafood distributors, who claim that a whole industry that has been built up around this global economy could be damaged by higher prices.

While local shrimpers are receptive to any help the government provides, fair market value is what they want. Eddie Gordon of Mount Pleasant, president of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, cites the 115 percent price differences between some Chinese shrimp imports and fair market value.

A global market place may be a great achievement, but fair trade is, too.