So Far Louisiana's Shrimp Harvest is Made Up of Sizes Already in Good Supply
Louisiana’s wild shrimp season started about two weeks ago and traders say new season production is so far made up of shrimp that is already in good supply. The harvest has been yielding smaller sized white shrimp 60 count and under for the PUD market. It’s also produced larger sized whites 12 count and up that are mostly destined for the HLSO market. Meanwhile, the white shrimp harvest for mid-sized shrimp from 21 to 40 count product is also thin. Brown shrimp production ended two weeks ago with the closure of the Texas season and supplies are limited. Urner Barry market quotations are beginning to reflect some of the discrepancy in inventories. This is just the start to the season in Louisiana and traders say boats are bringing in shrimp at a good pace.
The Copper River gillnet fleet has landed and estimated total of 126,000 sockeye salmon as of last week. The cumulative catch is lower than anticipated catches by May 26. The cumulative chinook catch has now reached an estimated 4,800 king salmon, not including what was caught yesterday. That exceeds the commercial guideline harvest limit of 4,000 kings, indicating that the run may be larger than previously thought. No changes were made in the management measures for the Monday opener, except an expanded period by one hour.
Three months into the 8-month season, commercial halibut landings in Alaska have reached just 31 percent of the allowable catch. For comparison 35 percent of the 2016 catch limit was landed in the Alaskan fishery by this same date in 2016; however, the opening date of the 2016 fishery occurred eight days later in the year than that of the 2017 fishery.
In other news, the LSU Agriculture Center, said white spot syndrome has made its way to crawfish ponds in South Louisiana, where it is having a significant impact. White was first detected in Louisiana crawfish ponds in 2007. However, the virus has now spread to Vermilion, Jeff Davis, Acadia and St. Landry parishes and possibly others.
Finally, a Congressional Jones Act Waiver for the for the Fishermen’s Finest catcher processor F/V America’s Finest was inserted into the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2017. The Act, with the Amendment, passed a U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing last week and now needs House and Senate approval.
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