Tag Archives: Shrimp
Alabama Man Cited For Commercial Fishing Violations in Plaquemines Parish
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Agents cited an Alabama man for alleged commercial fishing violations in Plaquemines Parish on March 17. Agents cited James R. Owens, 53, of Sumerdale, Alabama, for fishing without a commercial gear license and using shrimp trawls exceeding the size requirements in offshore Louisiana territorial waters. Agents were on a Joint Enforcement Agreement patrol in the Gulf of Mexico inspecting shrimp vessels for Turtle Excluder Device (TED) regulations. They boarded a vessel captained by Owens and found he did not possess commercial gear licenses for each of the four trawls he was actively using. >click to read< 16:00
North Carolina Sports target commercial fisheries – example #3 in 2022
Premium prices no problem for shrimp, crab, lobster consumers
Global supply chain issues are affecting supplies of some crustaceans sold in US grocery stores, and driving some prices up, but consumers seem willing to pay extra for their “must have” shrimp, crab, lobster and other products. “Red king crab availability is very tight, so look for more snow crab or even golden king crab in its place,” Shrimp is far and away the best-selling seafood item in the United States, and Amdahl doesn’t see that changing anytime soon.,, Despite the logistics headaches that are slowing shipments of foods worldwide, US retailers can expect to have volumes of a variety of crustacean products from Norwegian fisheries,,, >click to read< 10:38
North Carolina commercial fishermen landed less seafood last year
In 2020, 42.9 million pounds of fish and shellfish were sold, a decrease of 19% from 2019 and about a 23% decrease from the previous five-year average, according to the Division of Marine Fisheries. The decrease in commercial harvest was linked to a 41.3% decrease in hard blue crab landings from 2019, which may be related to COVID-19 impacts. The Division of Marine Fisheries said several fishermen told officials that they found it difficult to move blue crabs at the beginning of the state’s stay-at-home order when many restaurants were closed. >click to read< 15:26
Higher shrimp prices causing problems for packers and retailers
The inflated price of shrimp in Southeast Texas has had a varying economic impact for both consumers and industry professionals. While restaurants were closed during the pandemic, consumers flocked to grocery stores and markets. Great news for packers, fishermen and seafood market owners, but not so good for consumers who saw prices increase. video, >click to watch< 10:45
Nova Scotia Supreme Court approves sale of Clearwater Seafoods
It is the final step in a deal described as “the single largest investment in the seafood industry by any Indigenous group in Canada.” On Thursday, shareholders voted in favour of the sale to a partnership of Premium Brands of British Columbia and a coalition of Mi’kmaw First Nations led by the Membertou band of Nova Scotia and the Miawpukek in Newfoundland and Labrador. Court approval for the mega deal took 20 minutes. >click to read< 18:40
There’s something in the water: Shrimp!
Back in the 1990s, watermen started noticing shrimp were getting caught in their gill nets in waters just off Virginia Beach. Virginia Marine Resources Commission in 2018 issued free shrimp permits to a couple of watermen in Virginia Beach who would haul in 300 pounds of shrimp on a good day. Today, 12 watermen, with permits, work the waters for shrimp and on a good day, the haul is more than a thousand pounds. 100 people applied for 2020 permits but only 12 permits were issued to watermen in Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore in a lottery system. Shrimping is also a game of chance. “One day I think I caught 16 shrimp, two days later [I caught] 1700 pounds,” >video, click to read< 07:34
Despite the Coronavirus pandemic, bait shrimping business is good
Over the past few years, the shrimping business has been struggling. Even the number of boats licensed to catch bait shrimp in Texas bays has dropped. There are currently only about 300 boats licensed to catch bait shrimp in Texas bay waters compared to 2,378 in 1988. Just days after Hurricane Hanna slammed into the Coastal Bend, those few bait shrimping boats were back at work to meet the public demand. “They have been selling as fast as we can get them. It is gone. We are steady every day; every day we need 200 pounds every day,”, video, >click to read< 09:22
Gulf of Mexico Still Struggling 10 Years After BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Blanchard operates one of America’s biggest shrimp distributors, Dean Blanchard Seafood, which has yet to fully recover from the aftereffects of one of the world’s worst oil disasters. The calamity began when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana on April 20, 2010, The environmental catastrophe devastated one of the world’s most productive aquatic ecosystems five years after Hurricane Katrina had decimated the region. Fishing industry devastated,,, Shrimper and oyster harvester George Barisich said he had to settle for 35% of lost income. “That oil’s basically created pavement at the bottom of the Gulf,” Barisich explained. “Some seafood likes to hide at the bottom, but they can’t burrow in pavement.” Blanchard blames the situation for shrimp hauls that continue to decrease annually. >click to read< 08:19
Seadrift fishermen struggle with shrimp-sized market
Shrimping season arrived in May, but it didn’t bring renewed demand for Gulf shellfish. After restaurants began to close in March, demand for oysters tanked. Some oyster harvesters were able to scrape through the season, but Nevarez said shrimp season has been even bleaker. “After all these outbreaks we’ve been having, they’re probably going to start closing again,” she said of the restaurants that normally buy her husband’s shrimp. She said she’s encouraging her husband, a shrimper of 35 years, to begin considering alternate work. >click to read< 18:34
Shrimp Season begins in Georgia waters
Darrell Gale and his crew hit the Darien River Tuesday night and had an early morning for the start of shrimp harvest season. Gale said he had a good catch, but it could have been better. The captain caught more small fish than he would have liked, but still ended up catching about 1,000 pounds of shrimp. However, that’s 2,000 pounds less than last year’s season opening. “They waited a little long to open the beaches and the smaller shrimps came out. Well…you don’t get as much profit with the smaller shrimps,” Gale said. Video, >click to read< 10:02
Family will carry on Captain Ben’s legacy
Ben Nguyen, known as Captain Ben, died unexpectedly three weeks ago at the age of 49. His family was faced with the shock of his loss as the opening of shrimp season was bearing down, but they were determined to honor his legacy. “We knew we had to make him proud,” said his daughter Amanda, “So that’s why we had to pick back up and just get going.” After years of working as a deckhand, and doing other enterprises, Captain Ben had built a fleet of eight shrimp and crab boats. Two years ago, he bought a small dock in St. Martin, Miss. where he sold seafood year-round. He left behind his wife, Trina, and three children, daughters Amanda, and Taylor, and son, Ben, who were determined to continue his legacy. Video, >click to read< 14:42
Alabama: Shrimpers having tough spring season
The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused the price of shrimp paid to fishermen to plummet, causing many to stay home. Those who are on the water say they are not having much luck finding shrimp. The season began on Monday, May 18, and only a sparse number of boats can be seen dotting the waters. Dock operators and shrimpers say COVID-19 caused restaurants to sell few shrimp, and this has meant processors haven’t moved much product. The low demand for new shrimp has dropped the normal $1.85 per pound for larger shrimp down to $1.05. Smaller shrimp, normally fetching near a dollar per pound, has dropped below $.50. Morris Liner, a shrimper of 42 years, said that the windfall that the lower oil prices could have brought has not materialized. >click to read< 11:14
Brownsville: How Coronavirus pandemic is affecting shrimp producers
About two months ago, one of Andrea Hance’s boats came in with about 10,000 pounds of shrimp. Hance said on average the price of shrimp that they get from the boat is about $5, but buyers were not willing to pay that much. “They were coming back after they told us that they were not going to bid at all, you pressure them a little bit and then they said well we’ll give you a bid, but you’re not going to like it,” said Hance. “Well we ended up selling our shrimp for $3 a pound so we lost quite a bit of money on the last trip.” These are prices that John Keil Burnell, who is one of the owners of Shrimp Outlet in Brownsville, is seeing. Video, >click to read< 16:16
North Carolina: Local seafood markets still seeing good business amid Coronavirus
Fresh seafood seems to be in high demand, given grocery stores are running out of stock of other meats such as chicken and ground beef, It’s a win-win situation for the markets and for customers. “It means a lot,” said Jimmy Phillips, the owner of Clyde Phillips Seafood MKT in Swansboro. “People want some good seafood with all the scares of beef and pork being out. So they come in and buy fresh fish an shrimp.” Phillips said that business has increased after the COVID-19 outbreak. Jody Davis, the owner of Davis Seafood in Sneads Ferry agreed that the local seafood industry remains steady. “Things have been pretty good for us,” he said. >click to read< 10:12
Coronavirus: Louisiana Shrimpers Uncertain of the Future
The seafood industry in Louisiana has seen highs and lows throughout the years.,, The ongoing competition from imported seafood and natural disasters have always been hurdles Captain AC Cooper and his family have had to navigate through, but now with the surplus of shrimp due to COVID-19 he’s unsure of the future. Acy said, “You just can’t get rid of the product that you normally get rid of because of the restaurants being closed and we went through lent but we still didn’t get rid of the excess. It’s hard to say that you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow and we don’t, and that’s very scary.” >click to read< 08:31
Coronavirus: Fishing markets impacted by new restaurant guidelines and shifting markets
One of the owners of ‘Erickson and Jensen’ says these changes have not impacted the prices of their shrimp, but it has impacted their actual sales. ‘Erickson and Jensen’ has been a family-run shrimp business since the 1950s. “Well we’ve been doing this for a long time, my family is multi-generational, we’ve always been fisherman,” said Grant Erickson.,, While they’ve seen their sales to restaurants go down, they have seen their sales to markets like Publix go up. “We can see the change happening in that there is a heavier demand in retail than in the restaurant area,” said Erickson. >click to read< 10:03
Coast fishermen, seafood related businesses welcome disaster declaration
The federal fisheries disaster declaration was certainly welcomed by fishermen and seafood sales businesses along the Coast Wednesday. Because of the algae bloom, the seafood industry has been hit hard. But even in the midst of crisis, there are pockets of success. Business is steady for the Cajun Maid at the Pass Christian Harbor. “Every day, people come up here every single day to buy shrimp,” said deckhand Britt Roberts. >click to read< 11:38
Louisiana fishermen sell directly to survive, hoping for boost from restaurant menu labeling law
Commercial fishing businesses in Louisiana, striving to survive years of low prices for their catch and a safety scare following the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, are hoping for a boost in demand when restaurants across the state are required to disclose imported shrimp and crawfish on their menus starting Sept. 1. But already there is doubt that it will have much of an impact. >click to read< 12:15
Request for Comments: Changes to Allowable Fishing Effort in the Gulf of Mexico Commercial Shrimp Fishery
NOAA Fisheries requests your comments on changes to regulations for the Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp fishery. The changes would: increase the allowable amount of commercial shrimp trawl fishing effort in certain federal waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico., revise the Gulf of Mexico shrimp fishery management plan framework procedure to allow changes to allowable fishing effort through an expedited process. Comments are due by September 30, 2019. How to comment, frequently asked questions. >click to read, comment< 16:17
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries describes floodwater impacts on LA seafood as ‘extreme’. Fishermen are concerned.
Scientists pointed out significant numbers of fin fish, shrimp, crab and oysters lost so far this year, with the sharpest declines seen at oyster beds. Marine fisheries biologist Nicole Smith said oyster men have reported 60% to 100% mortality rates among coastal oysters.,,, Kimberly Chauvin attended the meeting to represent the David Chauvin Seafood Co. in Dulac. She said her central location dodged the worst of the floodwater intrusion, but she is concerned about the flood of toxins the floods carry with it. Video, >click to read< 15:34
Video – New tax proposed on imported seafood in Louisiana
A proposal is making a splash in Louisiana shrimp boats. Delcambre shrimper Terral Melancon tells me he’s losing money to imported shrimp. “I catch that shrimp, I can’t even get 80 cents (a pound),” said Melancon. “They flood the market so cheap our shrimp is worth nothing because this country is so flooded with the imported shrimp” Now Lousiana’s Lieutenant Governor wants to tax imported seafood at 10 cents per pound, but foreign seafood isn’t just cutting into fishermen’s profits. Video, >click to read< 16:14
Refusing to Leave! St. Bernard fisherman in Washington, DC to make their case for millions in federal aid
Fishermen and elected leaders from St. Bernard Parish are refusing to leave Washington, DC without $150 million in federal disaster aid, funded through a federal fisheries disaster declaration. They say repeat openings of the Bonnet Carre spillway has flooded the coast with fresh water that seafood cannot tolerate. St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis said the openings are destroying the $4 billion regional seafood industry and the money would be used to subsidize fishermen, repair fishing grounds and coastal waters. >click to read< 08:35
Expanding Dead Zone in Gulf of Mexico is Causing High Anxiety Among Shrimpers
For Tran, it is an adventure. For his family, it is a trade they had known in Vietnam before they made their way to Port Arthur, Texas after the fall of Saigon in 1975. Tran and his family of shrimpers have faced many challenges created by mother nature. The latest weather-related problem in the Gulf is a giant dead zone predicted to grow to a near record in coming weeks. “It’s not good,” said Tran.,,, The dead zone is an area of ocean containing little to no oxygen. It is a phenomenon that typically peaks in the summer and dissipates in the winter. However, this summer’s dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is predicted to be unusually large,,, Video, >click to read< 14:10
Freshwater in the Mississippi Sound Causing Concern for Shrimp Season
The Department of Marine Resources typically opens our state’s shrimp season during the first week of June every year. What’s different this season? There’s freshwater flushing out into the Mississippi Sound because of the twice-opened Bonnet Carre Spillway to alleviate flooding. Now, local fishermen are concerned over how the reduced salinity will impact Mississippi’s shrimp harvest. >click to read<10:39
Shrimp season comes with fears of uncertainty – Most of the people we spoke with were worried that the freshwater incursion from the Bonnet Carré Spillway would hurt the Mississippi shrimp season. >Video, click to read<
Fed up shrimpers may look to state for oversight
Missed payments, cash draws against the future and unpaid bills. Shrimp fishermen and plant workers from Newport to Eureka are feeling the financial pinch as a deadlock with processors continues. “They’ve got to get the plants open,” said Newport shrimper Ted Gibson, a key fisherman’s representative in price talks. “This is really hurting communities financially. I don’t think people have any idea how much money is not coming into Oregon because of this.” Unable to agree on a price for Pacific pink shrimp, some 60 boats are holding fast to the dock,,,>click to read<22:46
Louisiana: Shrimp Season to Open April 25 in a Portion of State Outside Waters
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced that the portion of state outside waters between Calliou Boca and the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel at Eugene Island shall reopen to shrimping at 12:00 p.m. on April 25, 2019. The closure area is defined as follows: >click to read<Recent biological sampling conducted by the department has indicated that small white shrimp, which have over-wintered in these waters from January through the present time, have reached marketable sizes and the closure is no longer necessary.11:30
Shrimp – Record Lows in Louisiana and Florida-and a Near Record High in Texas-Close Out 2018
The Fishery Monitoring Branch of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries’ Southeast Fisheries Science Center released shrimp landings data from the Gulf of Mexico for December 2018 and January 2019. For December, NOAA reported that 6.5 million pounds of shrimp were landed in the Gulf of Mexico, down from 6.9 million pounds last year, and 24.4 percent below the prior eighteen-year historical average of 8.6 million pounds. The decline in landings for the month was due to low shrimp landings in Louisiana and on the west coast of Florida. >click to read<21:04
Trawlers catching “unheard of” amounts of shrimp off Corolla
South of the Virginia border, the shores off Corolla have become an Outer Banks hot spot to catch winter shrimp. Trawlers have clustered there within 3 miles of shore in recent weeks, each bringing in as much as 20,000 pounds of the delicacy per trip. Last week, the “Capt. Ralph” hauled in 30,000 pounds, the most ever for the crew, said Ashley O’Neal, manager of O’Neal’s Sea Harvest. In the past, 12,000 pounds was a good catch no matter where it came from, he said. “This 30,000-pound stuff is unheard of,” O’Neal said. “We are seeing a lot of shrimp.” >click to read<17:04
Georgia: Shrimping season closes after record year
The end of the year also means the end of the current Georgia shrimping season, which is legally required to shut down at 6 p.m. Monday — that covers the traditional three miles from shore covered by state regulations. According to the state Department of Natural Resources’ Coastal Resources Division, activity has to cease on trawling, cast-netting and seining, and other food-shrimp harvesting efforts. However, “anglers and commercial bait-shrimp dealers may continue to harvest shrimp to use as bait.” >click to read<13:58
