A historic January for Texas shrimpers contributed to an above-average month of catches in the Gulf of Mexico.
The state reported landings of 2.5 million pounds last month. That’s nearly 169 percent above the average haul for the month and more than 700,000 pounds higher than the previous January record total, set in 2009, and roughly 1.5 million pounds more than what was reported last year.
The Southern Shrimp Alliance reported the figures on Wednesday, 24 February, using data from NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center.
Texas accounted for about 61 percent of the gulf’s landings. For Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and western Florida, the 4.1-million-pound total was 6.5 percent above the average dating back to 2002. The gulf-wide January total was also its best start to a year since shrimpers harvested 4.9 million pounds in 2012.
It remains to be seen, though, if the Texas harvest is an outlier or a harbinger for a strong year. The 71.2 million pounds landed in 2020 was the smallest yearly total, according to data tracked by the alliance.
“Historically, January has not been a significant harvest month for shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico, generally accounting for between 2 and 5 percent of the total annual harvest,” the SSA said in a statement.
Texas was the only state with above-normal catches in January. Louisiana reported 869,000 pounds last month, down about 127,000 pounds from last year and 49.6 percent off the historical average for January. In Florida, Gulf of Mexico shrimpers harvested 250,000 pounds in January, about 14,000 pounds off from last year and 52 percent below the stat’s January average. Mississippi fishermen reported only 35,000 pounds for January after not reporting any total in January 2020. According to the SSA, the state’s average for January is more than 254,000 pounds. Shrimpers in Alabama reported 480,000 pounds in landings, marginally higher than its historic average for the month. Last year, the state reported 548,000 pounds harvested.
Photo courtesy of Jillian Cain Photography/Shutterstock
