Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretary Bryant
O. Hammett, Jr. announced that the shrimp season in that portion
of Louisiana offshore territorial waters south of the Inside/Outside
Shrimp Line as described in R.S.56:495, from the eastern shore
of the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel at Eugene Island as
delineated by the Channel red buoy line to the U.S. Coast
Guard navigational light off the northwest shore of Caillou
Boca at 29 degrees 03 minutes 10 seconds north latitude and
90 degrees 50 minutes 27 seconds west longitude, will reopen
to shrimping on April 17, 2007 at 6 a.m.
According to the
most recent trawl samples taken by Marine Fisheries Division
biologists, small white shrimp which have occupied portions
of state outside waters from January through early April are
no longer present in the area to be opened. Significant numbers
of small white shrimp still remain in state outside waters
west of the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel to the western
shore of Freshwater Bayou Canal at longitude 92 degrees 18
minutes 33 seconds west longitude and this area will remain
closed until further notice.
Preliminary LDWF
trip ticket report data indicate that 2006 Louisiana shrimp
landings (all species combined) through November totaled approximately
128.3 million pounds. White shrimp landings totaled 81.1 million
pounds and accounted for 63 percent of total shrimp landings.
Although December landings figures remain incomplete, white
shrimp landings for the year exceeded the previous 2000 record
of 75.9 million pounds by over 5 million pounds.
The opening dates
for the 2007 spring inshore shrimp season will be considered
by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission at the
May 3 meeting to be held at LDWF headquarters.
