Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Secretary Robert
Barham 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 15, 2008 at 12 noon.
According to the
most recent trawl samples taken by LDWF Marine Fisheries Division
biologists, small white shrimp, which have occupied portions
of state outside waters from December 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 indicates that 2007 Louisiana shrimp
landings (all species combined) totaled approximately 110.1
49.9 dock-side value of $95.9 million in the earlier message.
million pounds and had a dockside value of $138.9 million.
White shrimp landings totaled 63.9 million pounds and accounted
for 58 percent of total shrimp landings.
The opening
dates for the 2008 spring inshore shrimp season will be considered
by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission at the
May 1 meeting to be held at LDWF headquarters.
