For the month, NOAA reported landings of 6.7 million pounds shrimp in the region, 44.9% below the prior fourteen-year historical average. Over the last fifteen years, the only July when less shrimp was landed than last month was in 2010 (5.5 million pounds).
The decline in landings is attributable to sharp drop-offs from previous years in both Louisiana (2.6 million pounds; 44.8% below historical average) and Texas (2.0 million pounds; 61.1% below historical average). For Texas, the amount of shrimp landed last month was the lowest recorded for any July over the last 15 years.
For the year, 41.9 million pounds of shrimp have been landed in the Gulf of Mexico, an increase over landings in the first seven months of last year (40.4 million pounds) and 2014 (40.5 million pounds). However, total landings for 2016 are 24.7% below the prior fourteen-year historical average.
Ex-vessel pricing data for the month of July continues to show the sharp divergence in prices for large and small shrimp. On one hand, the prices for 41/50 count headless remained at historic lows and were reported to be at a record low of $1.20 per pound in the Western Gulf last month. On the other hand, the prices for UN/15 count headless were reported to be $8.39 per pound in the Northern Gulf last month, up from $7.84 per pound in July 2015.
Please click the following link to view SSA’s compilation and summary of July 2002-2016 Shrimp Landings and Ex-Vessel Prices for July 2001-2016: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/July-2016-Landings.pdf