CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. — Commercial shrimp trawling opened in all legal South Carolina waters at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 27, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR).
“We’ve seen adequate evidence of coast-wide maturation and spawning of white shrimp," said Mel Bell, director of SCDNR’s Office of Fisheries Management. This is the same date we opened the season in full last year.”
Shrimping season in South Carolina typically starts in spring with the opening of a small subset of waters, called provisional areas, that allow shrimpers to take advantage of the harvest offshore while still protecting the majority of shrimp that have yet to spawn. South Carolina’s provisional areas opened on April 26 this year. The remainder of the harvest area, called the General Trawl Zone, is much larger.
SCDNR officials say the mild winter, promising results of early monitoring efforts and the abundance of overwintering white shrimp "should set us up for good landings this season.”
SCDNR officials set the opening date for shrimp season each year based on the conditions of the shrimp themselves. Biologists sample and study white shrimp frequently in late spring. One of the things they’re looking for is evidence that a majority of female white shrimp will have already spawned at least once before the season starts. Opening the season too soon could reduce the size of the fall white shrimp crop, which are the offspring of the spring white shrimp.
South Carolina's commercial shrimp calendar has historically had three peak periods. In the spring, shrimpers typically capitalize on the influx of roe white shrimp, large, early-season shrimp that generally fetch higher prices and generate the most value for fishing effort. The summer months are typically defined by a peak in brown shrimp, which are similar to white shrimp in size and taste. In the fall and into winter, shrimpers bring in a second crop of white shrimp; the offspring of the spring roe shrimp.
Georgia officials have not yet set an opening date for trawling season in their state waters.
