December 18, 2018

Shrimp landings in Gulf of Mexico at record low in October

The commercial shrimp harvest in the Gulf of Mexico was the lowest reported for any October since 2002 when the Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) started to record shrimp landings in the Atlantic Ocean basin.

At 10.4 million pounds, the commercial shrimp harvest last October was roughly 30% below the prior 16-year historical average for the month (14.8 million pounds).

Low volumes were driven by a lack of reporting of any shrimp landings from the west coast of Florida, as well as only 3.6 million pounds of shrimp reported as landed in Louisiana, which is the lowest total for any October since 2002 and less than half of the prior 16-year average (7.7 million pounds).

In the 10 months through October, 83.5 million pounds of shrimp have been landed in the Gulf of Mexico, down from 84.8 million pounds through the first 10 months last year, and 17% below the prior 16-year historical average.

Despite the overall landings fall, Texas recorded the second straight year of increased shrimp landings - from 25.3 million pounds in January-October 2016 to 30.8 million pounds in January-October 2017 to 32.5 million pounds in January-October 2018.

The overall decline also overshadows a record year for Alabama, with 12.4 million pounds of shrimp landed in the first 10 months of 2018.

The SSA said dreary harvest year resulted from the continuing decline in commercial shrimp landings reported in Louisiana, where 2018 marks the fifth straight year that the volume of shrimp landings has reportedly declined in the state, falling from 48.7 million pounds in 2013 to 47.2 million pounds in 2014 to 36.1 million pounds in 2015 to 35.5 million pounds in 2016 to 32.3 million pounds in 2017 to 31.2 million pounds in 2018.