The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1911-07-29
LAKE SHRIMP.
Why Conservation Should
Operate in their Behalf
Some Interesting Features
in their Natural History.

Lake Shrimp, the great delicacy
of the Gulf and one Of the mos
necessary ingredients Of The far
famed GumbO, has recently leei
given u great deal Of attention
10 the early days of the state,
history, shrimp fisherman brought
the deIectabIe m0rsel to the mar
kets for home consumption only
Later, the Chinese and Malay
fishermen caught and dried th,
shrimp afterwards shipping them
to the countries of the Far East,
while cannerles located At various
points in the state can the pro
duct and ship them to the markets
Of the world.
! Always the demand has been
increasing with the natural result
that the supply has been diminish.
ing Men interested in the prob
lem in various ways, have tried
to obtain protection for these
crustace ans, but generally the eff
forts have been defeated. Those
engaged in this conservation work
always anticipate opposition from
The fishermen who seem to be una
Ole to understand that the secret
of the increase of this valuable
natural resource is through pro
lection of the females during the
breeding season.
This opposition Is one of the
strangest features of the old pro
tective problem. Here ia a class
of citizens who have followed this
livelihood for 3 or 4 generations
and all they have to show after ali
these years Of toll is dire poverty,
distress and deprivation of every
thing that other citizens term ne
cessities.
The last General Assembly
gave q great deal Of consideration
to the subject and finally enacted
Law, Act No. 245 Of 1910, which
protects 'slake sh,imp" during 6
weeks of the IL of The breeding
season. Even thus small measure
Of protecting was assaulted by the
fishermen, and to cap the climax.
the Good Government League in
their platform demand the repeal
1T ''FOOlish restrictions on the
catch and sale Of sh,np, (meaning
thereby lake shrlmp,) which do
not breed in our waters".
This declaration that lake
shrimp do not breed here in made
10 the face If the scientific fact
that every female lake shimp
found in our bays aud lakes be-
tween the 10Th day OF Ma, and
the 18th day Of July carries 10 her
egg sac anywhere from 5000 10
10000 mature eggs, the larger
portion of which would hatch out
and become young shrimp and
alter marketable edible and val
liable com modify.
There are is species OF shrimp
found 10 The waters of the state
only 4 Of which are Of any i'm
pOrtance. The first il OF course
the LAKE Shrimp, scientifically |
known Is "Pen@ans setiferus',
the largest and most important
species, commercially, found in
our waters.
The next is the "River Shrimp
Bithynis OhiODis) smaller than
the lake shrimp, but more highly
prlzed on accOnnt Of the delicate.
y favored flesh. 1t il tound
principally in the Mississippi
River.
s'Grass Shrimp" (Palaemonetes
. small species found
lurking among the weeds and
grasses bordering the bayOus and
smaller streams along the coast.
It Ia salt or brackish water form
md seldom becomes as large as
fhe River shrimp.
The 90 called "King Shrimp
chloridella empusa) is not .
shrimp, but rather . distantreIs
i've OF them. It Ia included here
or the season the fishermen often
'atch large quantities Of them
md erroneousIy say that they are
he male Of the lake shrimp.
The following table gives . sum-
nary OF the annual catch OF shrimp
. the state during the pas, Ii
7esrs. ID
1897 1902 1908
pounds. 44O2. 6a6 1853. go 1851 500
Value. 1872 13O.56O $2l2.5OO
Showing IN apparent increase
o production, but In reality only
'howing moro vigorous exertions I
~ the fishermen, leaving the Va.
;ets that much barer Of shrimD. Il
HABITS OF THE LAKE
SHRIMP. {