from NOLA.com and Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission
The second-coldest spring in the last century has resulted in brown shrimp growing more slowly than the U.S. economy. As a result the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (LDWF) has delayed opening dates for some of the 2013 Louisiana spring shrimp season.
Charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant resources, LDWF biologists monitoring water conditions and conducting trawl samples throughout the state’s estuarine and nearshore waters over recent weeks have developed management recommendations for the spring shrimp season opening dates.
The Department, which provides projections of the dates when a minimum of 50 percent of the inshore brown shrimp population would reach 100 count per pound or larger, was faced with opening the seasons too early – the shrimp wouldn’t be big enough for market – or elected to wait too long having shrimp move out to the open Gulf, pushed by big spring tides and a blast of cold, fresh water moving down the Mississippi River.
Opening dates for the 2013 Louisiana shrimp season are:
Louisiana shrimpers are hoping for a record catch this year. Photo: Nicky Alphonso
1. Terrebonne Basin and Vermilion Bay – That portion of state inside waters from the eastern shore of Bayou Lafourche westward to the western shore of Vermilion Bay and Southwest Pass at Marsh Island, and that portion of state outside waters extending 3 nautical miles seaward from the shoreline from the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel at Eugene Island as delineated by the Channel red buoy line westward to the to the western shore of Freshwater Bayou Canal at 92 degrees 18 minutes 33 seconds west longitude to open at 6 a.m. May 13.
2. Barataria Bay -That portion of state inside waters from the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River westward to the eastern shore of Bayou Lafourche to open at 6 a.m. May 20.
3. Lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne - That portion of state inside waters from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line southward to the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River to open at 6 a.m. May 27.
4. Mermentau/Calcasieu – That portion of state inside waters from the western shore of Vermilion Bay and Southwest Pass at Marsh Island westward to the Louisiana/Texas state line to the western shore of Freshwater Bayou to open at 6 a.m. May 27.
The post Louisiana Spring Shrimp Season Set To Open appeared first on Louisiana Seafood News.