Lone Star Outdoor News
The Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for both Texas and federal waters will remain closed until a still-to-be determined date in July.
The state closed commercial shrimping Monday based on samples collected by the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department using trawl, bag seine and other information gathered from the shrimping industry. The closure allows shrimp to escape out to the gulf where they can grow larger before being vulnerable to harvest. The Texas closure applies to gulf waters from the coast out to 9 nautical miles. The National Marine Fisheries Service has announced federal waters out to 200 nautical miles also will be closed to shrimping to conform to the Texas closure.
Data collected regarding TPWD bag seine catch rates of brown shrimp, mean lengths of shrimp in April 2017, percent of samples containing shrimp, and periods of maximum nocturnal ebb tidal flow indicate a May 15 closing date is appropriate. Typically, once the shrimp reach about 3-1/2 inches long, they begin their migration to the gulf.
The statutory opening date for gulf season is July 15, however that could be delayed depending on data collected.
