After reports of a strong start to the year for Gulf of Mexico shrimpers, a drop in June and a significant revision on reporting from Texas now shows the beleaguered regional fishery on pace for another historic low.
According to data from NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center, shrimpers in the five Gulf of Mexico-adjacent states have reported landings totaling 25.6 million pounds for the first six months of the year. That’s the lowest total reported since the Southern Shrimp Alliance started tracking the landings in 2002.
In a statement, the organization noted “downward revisions” from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as a reason for the trajectory change. Through May, Texas officials reported 8.4 million pounds, which was the second-highest mark the state had reported since 2002. However, through June, the total reported was 7.3 million pounds, the lowest half-year tally since 2015.
For the month, gulf shrimpers landed 9.7 million pounds. While that was about 280,000 pounds more than June 2020, it still was 39.2 percent below the historical average, dating back to 2002. It’s also the fourth-lowest June according to SSA data.
Louisiana reported 5.2 million pounds of shrimp. It was a jump of about 1.5 million pounds, but it was still more than 45 percent lower than the historical average.
Landings in Texas fell by more than 1 million pounds from June 2020, as the 2.1 million pounds reported for last month were 28.7 percent from historical averages.
Mississippi fishermen reported 664,000 pounds, up 100,000 pounds from the year before. However, that total was still 55.7 percent lower than the historical average.
Shrimpers on Florida’s Gulf Coast reported 428,000 pounds, a 42,000-pound decrease from June 2020. The total was 38.4 percent off its historical average for June.
Alabama's June totals ran counter to the other gulf states. At 1.3 million pounds, the June total was down about 110,000 from the June 2020 mark. And despite being the lowest June since 2016, Alabama’s landings were still 18.4 percent above its historical average.
The SSA noted in its statement on the landings that reports from Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana were either collected or estimated by federal port agents, and those figures may not represent the total amount harvested by fishermen in those states.
Photo courtesy of Leigh Trail/Shutterstock
