Thursday, July 24, 2014

Texas Shrimp Season 2014

Consumers in Texas are likely to find a good supply of wild-caught shrimp for the 2014 shrimping season. Shrimp trawling opened in federal and state waters off Texas on July 15, 2014.

Each year, shrimping is closed to protect brown shrimp during emigration from the bays to the Gulf of Mexico. The early season closure allows Texas shrimp to reach a larger and more valuable size before harvest, and prevents waste of shrimp that might otherwise be discarded because of their small size.

source: Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Northern Shrimp Moratorium (USA Northeast)

It could be months or years before consumers begin seeing fresh local northern shrimp in New England seafood markets again. In December 2013, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) established a moratorium for the 2014 fishing season, based on the findings of the 2013 stock assessment update. The Commission noted that due to recruitment failure for the past three years, it is possible that the moratorium could extend beyond one year.

source: Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Friday, June 6, 2014

South Carolina Shrimp Season

South Carolina's commercial shrimp fishery is composed of three distinct segments.

The shrimp season typically begins in spring with catches of white roe shrimp. The white roe shrimp season generates the most value for fishing effort with early season prices for larger roe shrimp being relatively high.

The brown shrimp season typically occurs during the summer months

The larger fall white shrimp season, composed of offspring from the spring roe crop, begins in late summer and ends in winter.

Total landings for shrimp during the 2013 season, measured heads-off, was just over 1.3 million pounds, which was well below average for the state. Fall white shrimp landings in 2013 were the lowest on record.

source: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

Monday, June 2, 2014

FAO Report: State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture - 2014

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations recently released its 2014 edition of The State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture.

The report highlights global trends and statistics in wild and aquaculture fisheries production and their importance to the global economy.

The report is available at: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i3720e/index.html

Friday, May 23, 2014

2013 North Carolina Seafood Statistics

In 2013, North Carolina Commercial fishermen brought in 50 million pounds of fish and shellfish with a dockside value of $79 million, according to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Trip Ticket Program.

Commercial fishermen in the state landed 21 million pounds of hard blue crabs worth $26.4 million in 2013.

Shrimp was the second most valuable product with landings of 4.9 million pounds and a dockside value of $13 million.

Rounding out the top 5 most valuable species were spiny dogfish (3 million pounds and $302,248), southern flounder (2.2 million pounds and $5.6 million) and Atlantic croaker (1.9 million pounds and $1.7 million).

Commercial finfish landings totaled 22 million pounds in 2013.

Shellfish landings totaled 28 million pounds.

Oyster harvests increased by 33 percent, including a notable increase in landings from the Pamlico Sound.

source: N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries

Saturday, May 3, 2014

South Carolina Shrimp Season

Consumers in South Carolina may find greater quantities of fresh local shrimp during the month of May.

NOAA Fisheries recently announced that federal waters within 25 nautical miles of the federal-state water boundary off South Carolina will reopen to fishing for brown, pink, and white shrimp at 12:01 a.m. May 1, 2014. South Carolina state waters will remain closed until the state determines an appropriate reopening date. 

The initial closure was implemented at the request of the state of South Carolina after a prolonged period of cold weather.

source: South Atlantic Fishery Management Council

Monday, April 14, 2014

Gulf of Mexico Seafood Information Website

Seafood buyers and other interested parties now have access to a one-stop-shop for the information they need to be confident that seafood harvested from state-managed fisheries in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico is sustainable.

A collaboration among the five Gulf states, the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission (GSMFC), and NOAA Fisheries, GulfFishInfo.org, or Gulf FINFO, gathers information from fisheries experts from across the Gulf states and puts easy to understand, science-based facts about Gulf state fisheries.

The site profiles top Gulf fisheries, with information ranging from basics about species biology and habitat to how fisheries operate and how each state ensures these operations are sustainable.

The site also provides a platform for authorities to communicate how they conserve and manage fisheries in Gulf state waters. Gulf FINFO complements FishWatch.gov, which covers fisheries in federal waters.

source: Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission