Dave Burrage, Extension marine resources specialist at the Coastal Research and Extension Center, said he isn't worried about the numbers and size of shrimp being down so far this season. It normally moderates itself and catches up to past productivity in the end. This year, production will probably be spread over a longer period. The 1998 season began with a slow start as well, but in the end, fisherman landed some 15.9 million pounds of shrimp in Mississippi waterways, the second-best season in the last 30 years. The main concern for fishermen this year is the size of the shrimp.
Small shrimp means less money to shrimpers.
Although it is too early for dealers to quote prices, they expect prices to be up slightly from last year. Consumer demand for shrimp remains high on the market. However, a glut of shrimp after the season opening usually causes the prices to fall. We had a warm winter and a lack of rain. Most of the larger shrimp are still in the bays and estuaries, which are inaccessible to the shrimpers, where salinity is high.