State outside shrimp season opens Friday

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will open a portion of state outside waters to shrimping at 6 a.m. Friday, and a local shrimper says the size of white shrimp is decent in already open waters.
The section of state waters opening Friday is seaward of Terrebonne Parish and extends three miles seaward from the inside-outside shrimp line, beginning at the northwest shore of Caillou Boca and extending westward to the eastern shore of the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel at Eugene Island, according to a Wildlife and Fisheries news release.
Samples taken by biologists indicate white shrimp in the area have reached marketable sizes, and the closure is no longer necessary.
Harry Rebardie of Amelia, who is a full-time shrimper, said he made two short trips recently and caught “quite a few good shrimp” in state outside waters beyond the 3-mile section that will open Friday.
White shrimp Rebardie caught were in the 26- to 30-count per pound range about 25 miles south of Morgan City, he said. Rebardie said that size of shrimp is “pretty decent” for this time of year.
Shrimpers are also catching shrimp in Four Lake Bay south of Morgan City, which normally doesn’t occur this time of year due to muddy water, Rebardie said.
The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission will consider opening dates for the 2016 spring inshore shrimp season at its May 5 meeting.
The floodwaters that came from upriver will probably hurt the catch of shrimp in St. Mary Parish west of the Atchafalaya River, Rebardie said.
“The water’s muddy all the way to Vermilion, and that’s where we open up every year in August,” Rebardie said.
“That’ll be fine by the time August comes. But, for the May season opening, I think that’s going to be all muddy water.”
Significant numbers of smaller white shrimp remain in state outside waters west of the Atchafalaya River Ship Channel to the western shore of Freshwater Bayou Canal, and those waters will remain closed to shrimping until further notice.
People may only harvest shrimp during open shrimp seasons, unless they’re permitted to harvest live bait under a Special Bait Dealer Permit, according to the Wildlife and Fisheries website. The commission sets shrimp seasons for Louisiana’s state waters by area, according to scientific information about environmental and water conditions, and the growth rates, distribution and abundance of shrimp. They also consider input from the industry and other stakeholders, the website says.
In general, shrimp seasons follow the below guidelines listed on the Wildlife and Fisheries website:
—Inshore waters typically open when sufficient numbers of market-sized shrimp are available in these waters for harvest. The spring brown shrimp season generally runs May to July. However, opening and closing dates may often be staggered as shrimp recruitment, growth and emigration patterns vary among basins.
—The fall white shrimp season is generally open mid-August to mid-December. Some waters may remain open into January.
—Coastal and nearshore waters are open year-round, except from mid- or late-December to April or May in certain areas to protect small white shrimp and allow them to grow to market size. The commission may close these waters at other times of the year, if necessary.
—Federal waters off Louisiana are open year-round.