February 22, 2006

Shrimp harvest in US state falls to record lows

Shrimp harvest in 2005 in the US state of North Carolina was about a third of the average haul and has fallen to the lowest in more than 25 years, according to preliminary calculations.

Many fishing boats did not go out at all during last year's shrimping season while others chose to fish at other states. Fishermen expect a bad crop this year due to bad weather conditions.

North Carolina caught 2.3 million pounds of shrimp in 2005 according to preliminary data, said Dee Lupton, head of the Division of Marine Fisheries Trip Ticket programme. The state's average shrimp harvest is 7 million pounds. The worst harvest on record is 2.5 million pounds in 1981.

Shrimps are sensitive to temperature and salinity levels and will migrate to places if weather conditions are less than ideal, Carpenter said. Many fishermen, aware of the poor conditions, chose not to embark on fishing operations this year.

The number of shrimp fishermen in the state also fell nearly 40 percent last year as shrimp prices declined, according to the state's Shrimp Fishery Management Plan. Shrimp prices, when adjusted for inflation, were lower in 2004 than in 1972.