Fyi

last weekend to fish before shrimpers show up. They are starting a week early this year. If you are surf fishing High Island next week be prepared for hundereds of shrimp boats in close. Some will drag within casting range of the beach.

If you going to do some fishing behind them from a kayak the first few days are not the best. Way to many boats in close. You can still catch fish but they tend to be spread out. After a few days some of the boats will work offshore and the fish will have fewer boats to follow in close.




Gulf of Mexico Shrimp Season Opens July 10

AUSTIN — The Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp season for both state and federal waters will open 30 minutes after sunset on Monday, July 10, 2006. This opening date is based on an evaluation of the biological, social and economic information to maximize the benefits to the industry and the public.

In making its determination, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Coastal Fisheries Division used the best available scientific information including samples collected by using trawls, bag seines, and information gathered from the shrimping industry.

“Brown shrimp stocks have been very widely distributed this year with some areas of high population levels,” said Larry McKinney, Ph.D., TPWD coastal fisheries division director.

The purpose of the closed Gulf season is to protect brown shrimp during their major period of emigration from the bays to the Gulf of Mexico until they reach a larger, more valuable size before harvest and to prevent waste caused by the discarding of smaller individuals.

Federal waters (from 9 to 200 nautical miles offshore) will open at the same time that state waters will open. The National Marine Fisheries Service chose to adopt rules compatible with those adopted by Texas