PORTION OF LOUISIANA OFFSHORE TERRITORIAL WATERS REOPENED TO SHRIMPING
3/28/2005

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Dwight Landreneau today announced a reopening of a portion of Louisiana offshore territorial waters to shrimping. That portion of Louisiana offshore territorial waters south of the Inside/Outside Shrimp Line as described in R.S.56:495, from the eastern shore of the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel at Eugene Island as delineated by the Channel red buoy line to the eastern shore of Belle Pass at latitude 29 degrees 05 minutes 07 seconds N and longitude 90 degrees 13 minutes 30 seconds W will reopen to shrimping on Monday, April 4, 2005 at 6 a.m.
According to the most recent trawl samples taken by Marine Fisheries Division biologists, small white shrimp which have occupied these waters from January through March are no longer present in the area. Significant numbers of small white shrimp still remain in state outside waters west of the Atchafalaya River Ship to the western shore of Freshwater Bayou Canal at longitude 92 degrees 18 minutes 33 seconds W and this area will remain closed until further notice.

Preliminary LDWF trip ticket report data indicate that 2004 Louisiana shrimp landings (all species combined) totaled approximately 132.9 49.9 dock-side value of $95.9 million in the earlier message. million pounds and had a dock-side value of $138.1 million. White shrimp landings accounted for 55.5 percent of total shrimp landings and 69.5 percent of the value. Overall, 2004 ranked as Louisiana’s third highest shrimp landings year on record .

The opening dates for the 2005 spring inshore shrimp season will be considered by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission at the May 5 meeting to be held at LDWF headquarters.

For more information, contact Martin Bourgeois at 985/594-4130 mbourgeois@wlf.louisiana.gov
(mbourgeois@wlf.louisiana.gov)

 

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