Georgia’s food shrimp harvest season will be extended until 6:15 p.m. on Jan, 15, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources announced Tuesday.
Commercial food shrimp trawlers may continue to operate in waters eastward of the sound-beach boundary currently open to power-drawn trawls. Commercial and recreational cast netters, as well as persons using a beach seine, can harvest food shrimp from waters open to the use of these gears.
“December scientific surveys indicated shrimp abundance along the coast is within normal levels compared to long-term averages. Shrimp size remains somewhat mixed but overall marketable shrimp can be found throughout coastal waters,” said Jim Page, marine biologist with the Coastal Resources division. Page also cited demand as a factor for the extension.
The department typically extends food shrimp season beyond Dec, 31 unless environmental conditions such as abnormally cold weather or lower-than-normal shrimp abundance makes such an extension unadvisable. So far, water temperatures and salinities in Georgia’s estuaries are within normal ranges when compared to long-term averages. The decision to extend the food shrimp season was made in consultation with members of the Shrimp Advisory Panel and can be altered if emergency circumstances warrant.
The number of working trawlers in 2014 has been similar to recent years, though license sales remain down 44 percent from the 1979-2014 average of 575. Thirty-five commercial cast net licenses have been sold in 2014, well below the allowable limit of 200 licenses. Department records indicate the ex-vessel value of Georgia shrimp is exceptionally high this year, averaging $5.66 per pound, nearly $1 per pound higher than last year and $2.25 higher than the five-year average.
For more information on the extension of food shrimp season, please contact the Coastal Resources Division office at 912-
264-7218.