NOAA Fisheries Southeast Fisheries Science Center reported on Monday, 22 July, that shrimp landings in the Gulf of Mexico were down in June as compared to a year ago. Similarly, statistics show the first six months of 2018 haven’t been as strong as last year.
Shrimpers brought 10.4 million pounds to shore last month. That’s down 500,000 pounds from June 2017 and nearly a 39-percent fall from the 16-year statistical average, according to a news release from the Southern Shrimp Alliance. For the first half of 2018, shrimpers in the five Gulf states harvested 38.6 million pounds. That’s down 2.6 million pounds over the same timeframe last year and just more than 11 percent down from the statistical average.
Louisiana, which saw its totals down earlier in the year, brought in 5.7 million pounds of shrimp last month. While that’s still significantly lower than the state’s 16-year average for the month, it did represent a 26.7-percent increase from June 2017. For the year, Louisiana shrimpers have harvested nearly 18.6 million pounds, up from 17.2 million over the first six months of 2017.
Alabama fishermen enjoyed a strong month. The 1.6 million pounds was the third-best June in the last 16 years, according to SSA data. While they’re not on the same pace as last season, the 5.7 million pounds they’ve gathered through the first six months represents the second-best total since 2002.
June landings in Texas were down nearly a third from last year as shrimpers in the Lone Star State brought in just more than 2 million pounds. They’re also down roughly a million pounds through the first six months from last year, but the 9.9 million pounds they’ve harvested so far is more than a million pounds over their average haul for the first six months.
On the West Coast of Florida, shrimpers brought in just 189,000 pounds. That’s the second-smallest number the SSA has recorded for any state in June. For the year, Florida fishermen have tallied 2.9 million pounds, down from 4.2 million through the first six months of last year.
Mississippi fishermen saw their worst June since 2010 when they brought in just 879,000 pounds, a figure that’s just more than half their average June haul. The 1.5 million pounds harvested through June represents a greater than 39 percent drop from the state’s historical average.
Rick Burris, the shrimp and crab director for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, told WLOX-TV that state officials know the numbers are down, but the shrimp they’re seeing are big enough to market.
“We hope that would pick up as we get further into the brown shrimp season,” he said.
