Early risers on the Georgia coast are likely to start seeing a familiar sight as the sun comes up over the Atlantic Ocean. Georgia’s shrimp boats, with their distinctive twin trawling arms, will start heading out to sea as the shrimp season opens on June 8.
An advisory panel of shrimpers, scientists and other stakeholders recommended the start date for this year and Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Mark Williams made it official last week.
“Data collected by CRD indicate strong numbers of shrimp in coastal waters, with catches averaging well above long-term averages,” said Eddie Leonard, a CRD marine biologist who monitors shrimp populations. “Data also indicate that spawning is occurring and will likely be winding down by the time the season opens, and that average individual shrimp sizes are sufficient to satisfy the requirements of Georgia law.”
Shrimp trawlers are allowed to operate in state waters – from shore to three miles out to sea, where waters become federally managed – from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. In federal waters, shrimpers can operate 24 hours a day. Trawlers are required to use special devices, such as a turtle excluder device, to focus on shrimp and eliminate accidental catching of endangered or out of season animals.
The announcement comes conveniently at the same time that oyster season is shutting down on Tuesday morning. That closure ensures safety from a particular bacteria that can be present in oysters and can be extremely dangerous. It occurs at higher levels during warmer months and cause severe symptoms related to the gastrointestinal tract.
“This closure ensures that Georgia meets the requirements of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program to protect public health by implementing a Vp control plan,” explained Dominic Guadagnoli, shellfish fish and water quality manager for the Coastal Resources Division of DNR. “We expect this closure to have little adverse impact on recreational and commercial oyster harvesters, since most individuals refrain from eating freshly harvested wild oysters during the summer months when the combination of spawning and warm water makes oysters less desirable as seafood.”
Shrimp and oyster harvesting are two of the anchors for Georgia’s seafood industry, which has major economic impact, particularly for the coast. In 2015, more than five million pounds of seafood were harvested, with more than $16 million in value.
On the whole however, Georgia’s commercial industry is lower than other neighboring states – not unexpected based on size of coast alone. Recreational saltwater fishing is where the big money is in Georgia, with more than $150 million in spending annually, reinforcing the importance of a healthy coastal ecosystem and its relation to economic impact.
