Shrimpers in the Gulf of Mexico reported a historically low landings total for September, according to the Southern Shrimp Alliance, and as a result, they remain on course for a record low year for the second consecutive year.
NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Monitoring Branch reported just 6.1 million pounds were harvested in the Gulf last month. Not only was that more than 52 percent off the previous 17-year average of 12.7 million, it was also about 350,000 pounds off the previous low of 6.4 million pounds collected in 2008.
Through the first nine months of 2020, shrimpers in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida’s Gulf Coast have reported 50.5 million pounds of shrimp. That’s less than 40 percent of the historical average of 83.8 million pounds. It’s also roughly 7.5 million pounds less than what they harvested through the same period last year.
NOAA officials continue to note that its totals are tallied or estimated by federal port agents and may not reflect the actual landings data for each state.
Louisiana reported just two million pounds in September, more than 60 percent off the average and more than a million pounds lower than what was reported in 2019. For the year, shrimpers have landed just 14.8 million pounds, 61.7 percent off the historical average and 5.3 million pounds lower than last year, then a historic low.
Texas reported just 2.5 million, down 56.2 percent off its historical average. It’s also the second-smallest total reported for September since the SSA began tracking data in 2002. Despite the gloomy month, the 23.1 million pounds year-to-date is about 300,000 pounds more than the same period last year and only 17.3 percent below the historical average of 27.9 million pounds.
September totals were better in Alabama, where the 1.1 million pounds collected were only 11.1 percent off the historical average. While the 7.7 million pounds reported year-to-date is 1.9 million pounds off last year’s total through September, it’s nearly on par with historical average of 7.8 million pounds.
In Mississippi, shrimpers landed 379,000 pounds in September, down about 26,000 pounds from September 2019 and more than 29 percent off the historical average of 535,765 pounds. The year-to-date total of 2.4 million is about 430,000 pounds off from the same timeframe last year and more than 48 percent lower than the historical average of 4.7 million pounds.
Just 110,000 pounds were reported by shrimpers on Florida’s Gulf Coast, down from the 192,000 collected a year ago and almost 61 percent off the historical average. The year-to-date total of 2.4 million is about 250,000 pounds off from the same time period last year and 48 percent off the historical average of 4.7 million pounds.
Photo courtesy of Larry Powell/Shutterstock
