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Despite Slight Improvement in July, Gulf Shrimp Landings Still Down

Last night, the Fishery Monitoring Branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries’ Southeast Fisheries Science Center released shrimp landings data from the Gulf of Mexico for the month of July.
Last month, 7.8 million pounds of shrimp was landed in the Gulf, up from 7.0 million pounds in July of 2019. The increase in landings occurred despite another poor month in Louisiana, where shrimpers reportedly landed 1.5 million pounds of shrimp, down from 1.6 million pounds last July and 63.6 percent below the prior eighteen-year historic average for the month of 4.1 million pounds. The volume of shrimp landed in Louisiana last month was the third lowest for any July over the last nineteen years.
At the same time, 4.2 million pounds of shrimp was landed in Texas, the highest volume reported for that month since 2015. On the west coast of Florida, commercial fishermen landed 0.3 million pounds of shrimp, the highest volume of landings reported for a July in that region since 2016. In Mississippi, 0.6 million pounds of shrimp were landed last month, the most for any July since 2017. And in Alabama, 1.2 million pounds of shrimp were landed last month, an amount that was 16.9 percent above the prior eighteen-year historic average of 1.0 million pounds.
Through the first seven months of this year, NOAA indicates that 34.2 million pounds of shrimp have been landed in the Gulf, down from 35.6 million pounds over the same time period last year, and the second lowest volume reported over the last nineteen years.
Shrimp landings in Louisiana continue to be at historic lows, with 10.8 million pounds of shrimp harvested this year. This volume is 60.5 percent below the prior eighteen-year historic average of 27.4 million pounds and the lowest volume reported over the first seven months of the year in the last nineteen years. Similarly, on the west coast of Florida, 2.1 million pounds of shrimp have been landed this year, the lowest volume reported for that area over the last nineteen years and 48.5 percent below the prior eighteen-year historic average of 4.1 million pounds. And in Mississippi, 1.3 million pounds of shrimp have been landed so far this year, the second lowest total recorded over the last nineteen years and 59.0 percent below the prior eighteen-year historic average of 3.2 million pounds.
Balancing out these historic lows, at 5.2 million pounds, the shrimp harvest in Alabama for 2020 is the fifth largest reported over the last nineteen years and is 13.6 percent above the prior eighteen-year historic average of 4.5 million pounds. And more shrimp has been landed in Texas (14.8 million pounds) this year than in Louisiana, Mississippi and the west coast of Florida combined (14.2 million pounds). Shrimp landings in Texas in 2020 are the highest since 2011 and are 8.3 percent above the prior eighteen-year historic average of 13.7 million pounds.
Ex-vessel prices for shrimp landed in the Western Gulf were reported by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, while no ex-vessel prices were reported for the eastern (Florida west coast ports) or northern (Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi) Gulf. Ex-vessel prices in the Western Gulf last month were reported to be higher than in July 2019 for all but two count sizes: U15 and 31/35.
As in past months, NOAA’s monthly reporting of shrimp landings in the Gulf of Mexico continues to include the following disclaimer:
“BE ADVISED THAT THE SUMMARIES IN THIS REPORT ARE COLLECTED OR ESTIMATED BY THE FEDERAL PORT AGENTS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE LANDINGS FROM THE STATES”
Please click the following link to view SSA’s compilation and summary of July 2002-2020 Shrimp Landings and Ex-Vessel Prices for July 2001-2020:  https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/July-2020-Landings.pdf

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