April 25, 2019 — Wednesday, 24 April, marked the start of the commercial shrimping season in South Carolina, U.S.A., with fisherman taking to the water two months earlier than they had been able to do in 2018, according to a report from state newspaper the Post and Courier.
A warmer winter has been cited as the reason behind the early start, the newspaper said. State shrimpers like Tommy Edwards, who works out of Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, are meeting the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) decision to open the fishery now with enthusiasm.
“It’s looking promising this year because it’s not July,” Edwards told the Post and Courier. “I don’t think we’ll see a lot of shrimp at first but at least we can get to work.”
The fishery appears to be bouncing back after experiencing the fifth worst die-off of shrimp and other species seen since the 1950’s in January 2018, when a cold snap of snow and ice rattled the region.