SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Michael Ramsingh – July 18, 2014 — Another round of closures will see most of Louisiana's inshore shrimp fishing areas shut down until at least the fall.
Another round of closures will see most of Louisiana's inshore shrimp fishing areas shut down until at least the fall.
As of 6 a.m. Monday July 21, shrimp fishing will be closed in Mermentau, Calcasieu and Sabine Rivers Basins extending from the western shore of Freshwater Bayou Canal westward to the Louisiana/Texas state line and in Lake Borgne located in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin. Breton and Chandeloeur Sounds and a portion of Mississippi Sound will remain opened.
Fishery officials with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission decided to shut down the season after data found an increase quantity, distribution and percentage of small juvenile white shrimp in the water. The closure is intended to give the shrimp more time to grow to a marketable size. Officials will meet August 7 to consider opening dates for the fall inshore shrimp season.
Landings out of the Gulf have been down compared to last year as colder waters hampered the start to the season. As of May, the Gulf-wide catch is 58 percent short of last year's haul with primary declines in Louisiana and Texas driving the shortfall. A recent forecast pegged the Western Gulf catch to fall 6 percent this year over 2013.
However, there is a general consensus among fishermen that catches out of Louisiana and Texas will improve more into the summer and fall.
The brown shrimp season is underway in Texas.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscripton site. It is reprinted with permission.