Shrimpers in the Gulf of Mexico reported a strong February, landing nearly 3.4 million pounds of shrimp for the month. Not only was that total 22.8 percent higher than the historical average monitored by the Southern Shrimp Alliance, it also served as the second best February in 20 years.
Four of the five Gulf states reported above-average totals for the month, based on landings data from the NOAA Fisheries Southeast Science Center’s Fishery Monitoring Branch. Louisiana, the only state below average, still had its best February since 2016.
The 655,000 pounds reported for the state was 8 percent below Louisiana’s historical average of 712,458 pounds. It was also 217,000 pounds higher than its 2020 total and 409,000 pounds higher than what it reported for February 2019.
In Texas, the shrimpers had their fifth-best February on record. While the 1.4 million pounds was about 80,000 pounds off from last year, it still marked a 26.7 percent improvement from the state’s historical average for the month.
The 694,000 pounds harvested in Alabama last month was the fourth-best February on record and 120,000 pounds higher than last year’s total for the month. It also is 68.2 percent higher than the historical average of 412,665 pounds.
Fishermen on Florida’s Gulf Coast landed 532,000 pounds of shrimp last month, its best February since 2017. While it was just 3.4 percent higher than the historical average, it was a 155,000-pound improvement from last year and a 253,000-pound one from February 2019.
Mississippi reported February landings for the first time since 2017 and for just the second time since 2012. At 80,000 pounds, the total was 34.6 percent higher than the historical average.
The first two months of 2021 have been substantially better for Gulf shrimpers than recent years. Nearly 7.5 million pounds have been harvested so far in 2020, the best start to the year since 2012. That total is about 13.7 percent better than the historical average and about 2.4 million pounds better than the same two-month period last year.
Photo courtesy of Dan Thornberg/Shutterstock
