Longtime Fort Myers Beach shrimping operation dissolving after disputes between owners

As the Fort Myers Beach shrimping industry claws its way back after Ian, one of the last remaining companies on the historic waterfront is not returning, though the end of Trico Shrimp Company is not due to the hurricane.

The demise of Trico Shrimp reduces the size of the historic “pink gold” fleet as two local families with several decades of business history part ways. The partnership splintered over how the shrimping operations were run, court records show.

The directors of Trico Shrimp, incorporated in 1986, have been ensnared in legal action since 2021 when Dennis Henderson and wife Ranell Henderson filed for the dissolutions of various companies, including several shrimp boats, they own with wife-and-husband Christine and George Gala Jr.

In 2022, the Hendersons asked a judge to dissolve Trico Shrimp. Henderson described the actions as a business divorce. Christine Gala and Dennis Henderson said, in separate interviews, that they’re staying in the seafood market business but independent of each other.

Trico Shrimp, a wholesale and retail operation on San Carlos Island, was pummeled and paralyzed by Hurricane Ian. Its market has been closed since the September 2022 storm left it in pieces.

But before the storm, it was popular — ranking on Tripadvisor as a top Fort Myers Beach attraction and inspiring rave reviews for its fresh seafood. Behind the scenes though, there was friction between the owners.

The Hendersons alleged in the complaint that “the Galas’ business and management policies have led to irreparable injury in the form of misapplication and waste of corporate funds and assets” by, among other things, “refusing to implement appropriate accounting controls” and “gross overcompensation of family members and close friends.”

The Galas denied the allegations in a court filing that sought to fight the dissolution and noted that the families have been running the business the same way for many years and “openly and jointly kept the books.”

The “Galas and the Hendersons have both employed family members and close friends within the Shrimping Operation. To the extent that the Galas have engaged in business and management policies that have harmed the Defendant Corporation (which the Galas deny), the Hendersons and the Shrimping Operation’s accountant have been fully aware, participated with or consented to any such activity.”

In a court affidavit, Christine Gala argued that her relatives were not overpaid, noting that her granddaughter made $15 per hour for overseeing the retail market that grossed more than $2 million per year.

Dennis Henderson and George Gala Jr. began working together in the shrimping industry in the late 1970s, according to the same court filing. Henderson said he and George Gala Jr. have known each other since the fifth grade and built up the operation together. “We were friends ... always made nice good money out of it and had fun."

But the dynamics between the families soured.

In July 2022, two months before Hurricane Ian, the couples agreed, as part of the legal action, to appoint a receiver to “preserve, protect and maintain the Shrimp Entities’ assets in a reasonable, prudent, diligent and efficient manner.” After the hurricane, court records show they began a plan to start liquidating assets including land and 12 boats damaged by Ian.

Dennis Henderson also owns the popular Skip One Seafoods, a restaurant and market, in south Fort Myers. He said he bought seven of the Trico boats back and plans to keep some in Fort Myers Beach.

“This is a hell of a port,” he said, noting the boats will serve Skip One. “Nobody’s going to end up with the Trico name ... It’s only a name that’s been around for 50 years.”

Christine Gala said her family plans to open a seafood market called Big Daddy’s Shrimp Company on San Carlos Island in the next month. “We can come back in some way, shape or form."

Before Ian, Lee County, namely Fort Myers Beach, was home to the biggest pink shrimp port in Florida. In 2021, the fleet landed 4 million pounds of shrimp, valued at nearly $13 million, according to state data. Lee represented about half of the state’s overall pink shrimp landings.

The fleet was a fraction of what it was during the mid-century “pink gold” rush, but still 40 boats strong when Ian’s mammoth surge pushed the boats ashore and destroyed some. Most of the boats were recovered after a $8.45 million government-funded operation, but it’s uncertain how many boats will end up in Fort Myers Beach.

The end of Trico makes Erickson & Jensen Shrimp Packers the last standing larger shrimping operation on San Carlos Island. The owners of the generations-old company have several boats fishing and are envisioning a future that would draw more visitors to the waterfront.

Christine Gala plans to support her former competitor. She said people at Erickson & Jensen asked where she would buy her shrimp for the new market. She responded, “Well, I thought I was going to buy them from you?”

Connect with Janine Zeitlin at jzeitlin@gannett.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers Beach company Trico Shrimp dissolving after disputes