Shrimpers in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico continued their strong run to start 2021 with their best March since 2017.
According to data released late Thursday, 22 April, from NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center’s Fishery Monitoring Branch, the region reported nearly 2.7 million pounds of shrimp landings last month.
That’s 35 percent better than last year’s harvest of nearly 2 million pounds and 13.3 percent better than the historical average of 2.3 million pounds, according to data tracked by the Southern Shrimp Alliance.
Texas reported more than half of the landings for the month. The 1.5 million pounds reported was an increase of about 100,000 pounds from March 2020 and 63.2 percent better than the historical average of 941,260 pounds.
In Alabama, the 409,000 pounds were 120,000 pounds more than shrimpers there tallied last year. It’s also 12.2 percent better than the state’s historical average of 364,111 pounds for the month.
Louisiana shrimpers landed 361,000 for the month. While it was down 16.3 percent from the historical average of 431,120 pounds, it was a marked improvement from last year. The state reported a 48 percent increase from last year’s 244,000 pounds.
After not making a March report last year, Florida’s Gulf Coast fishermen landed 351,000 pounds. That’s 45.2 percent below its historical average of 640,268 pounds.
Mississippi did not report any totals for the month.
For the year, Gulf shrimpers have reported 10.2 million pounds, which is 13 percent higher than the historical average of nearly 9 million pounds. It’s also the best start to the year since fishermen landed 10.3 million pounds four years ago.
The strong first quarter comes after landings in the state have declined for three straight years. Last year’s 71.2 million pounds harvested overall was the lowest dating back to 2002 according to the SSA.
Texas is on pace for a historic year, according to the SSA data. The 5.4 million pounds harvested so far is more than 1 million pounds better than any other first quarter dating back to 2001, and it’s 82 percent higher than its historical average of almost 3 million pounds.
Alabama’s three-month total of 1.6 million pounds is 27.4 percent better than its historical average of 1.2 million pounds.
Florida’s quarterly total for the Gulf Coast is its best since 2018. However, the 1.1 million pounds landed is still 31.8 percent off its historical average.
In Louisiana, the state’s quarterly total increased for the third consecutive year, but the 1.9 million pounds reported was still 33.6 percent lower than its historical average. From 2001 to 2017, the state always reported first-quarter landings of at least 2.1 million pounds.
Photo courtesy of Leigh Trail/Shutterstock
