Wednesday, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Marine Resources Division announces that as of 6 a.m., Friday, May 1, 2020, all inside waters will close for commercial and recreational shrimp harvesting.
All inside waters, that are not permanently closed by law or regulation, will reopen to shrimp harvest at 6 a.m., on Monday, June 1, 2020.
Inside waters are defined in Rule 220-3-.04 as all waters north of a line extending from the Florida-Alabama line westward along the shore to Alabama Point; from there along the Baldwin County beaches of the Gulf of Mexico to the intersection with the Territorial Sea Line on Fort Morgan Peninsula, known as Mobile Point (30°-13.46’N, 088°-01.72’W); from there following the Territorial Sea Line across the mouth of Mobile Bay to Dauphin Island (30°-14.77’N, 088°-04.48’W); from there along the Dauphin Island beaches of the Gulf of Mexico to the intersection with the Territorial Sea Line on the west point of Dauphin Island (30°-13.72’N, 088°-19.81’W); from there following the Territorial Sea Line southwest to the intersection with the Alabama-Mississippi state line (30°-12.82’N, 088°-23.54’W).
Licensed live bait dealers are reminded that the taking of live bait north of a line beginning at the northern shore of East Fowl River running along the northern edge of the Fowl River Channel to marker number two in the Fowl River Channel then southeasterly to Middle Bay Light and then northeasterly to Great Point Clear is prohibited during this closure except by permit holders in the Special Permit Area in the Mobile Ship Channel. Recreational shrimp vessels possessing a Special Live Bait Permit may only take one gallon of shrimp per boat per day.
Special Live Bait Area Permits are only available at the Marine Resources Office on Dauphin Island. For more information, call (251) 861-2882.
Shrimp are an important food species for a number of fish and wildlife species. Alabama waters contain 15 to 22 species of shrimp. Only three of these are eaten. These are: the brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus), the white shrimp (P. setiferus), and the pink shrimp (P. duorarum). Shrimp, along with crabs, lobsters, and crayfish, are a species of invertebrates known as decapods. There are about 2,000 species of shrimp in the world.
The brown shrimp is by far the most abundant The pink shrimp is the least abundant of the three. Alabamians harvest approximately 20.5 million pounds of shrimp with an estimated dockside value of $45 million.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through four divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.
To learn more about ADCNR, visit www.outdooralabama.com.
