Shrimpers in the Gulf of Mexico caught just 13.3 million pounds of shrimp in August, continuing the down year they’ve been enduring.
That total, reported by NOAA Fisheries’ Southeast Fisheries Science Center, represented the worst August in nine years for fishermen in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the west coast of Florida. And according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance, it’s also nearly 25 percent off the average August harvest.
All five states reported below-average catches.
In Texas, the 5.2 million pounds was the worst since 2005 and more than 2 million pounds off last year’s August tally. For the year, Texas shrimpers have hauled in nearly 18.8 million pounds, which is 14.1 percent off the historical average dating back to 2002.
According to the SSA, August is typically a strong month for Texas shrimpers, as they usually bring in half of the Gulf’s harvest for the month.
Louisiana reported landings of almost 4.9 million in August, a roughly 400,000-pound increase from last year. However, that’s still 20.7 percent off the average August. For the year, Louisiana has reported landings of 17 million, more than 50 percent off its average harvest for the first eight months of the year. That figure represents the worst total through eight months since 2010.
In Alabama, shrimpers reported 2 million pounds harvested, which was just 1.2 percent off the average for the month dating back to 2002. While the 8.2 million pounds collected year-to-date is 2 million pounds off last year’s year-to-date figure, it’s still nearly 30 percent above average and stands as the state’s third-best eight-month performance.
Alabama is the only state reporting an above-average harvest for the year.
Mississippi had its best August in four years with the 888,000 pounds harvested. However, that total was still 8.8 percent off the typical August. Like Louisiana, Mississippi shrimpers have reported their worst year-to-date total since 2010. The 2.4 million pounds harvested is 42.5 percent off the state’s historical average.
Florida’s Gulf coast fishermen gathered 267,000 pounds in August. While that was the state’s best August since 2016, it was still 24.4 percent below normal. For the year, the 2.5 million pounds harvested is more than 44 percent below the state’s average and on pace for the second-worst year since the SSA began tracking.
Overall, Gulf shrimpers have reported just 48.9 million pounds in shrimp landings since the beginning of the year. That’s the second-lowest year-to-date total - according to SSA records, only 2010 was worse. It’s also 31.1 percent below the average harvest for the first eight months of the year.
Once again, the SSA noted that NOAA’s reporting of the monthly figures included a disclaimer indicating the totals are either collected or estimated by federal port agents and may not reflect all the landings in each of the states.
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