Shrimping season in SWLA begins

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Shrimping season, well known to Southwest Louisiana, kicked off Wednesday morning at 6 a.m.

Boats began lining up as early as Tuesday night to get the perfect spot to take off next morning for some good shrimping.

Vice president of Tommy Seafood Inc Chalin Delaune said there’s a lot of factors that play into shrimping.

“It really depends on the cycle of the moon. It depends on the area," Delaune said.

“Here in Cameron, this is the last zone for shrimping that opened. So, there are other areas that have opened in the state before Cameron. But we’re hoping they saved the best for last. As of right now, we’ve seen a little bit of shrimp. So, we’re hoping that we’re able to open up and our boats will be able to catch some shrimp to cover their expenses and make some money.”

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, how would shrimp prices be determined once they’re caught?

“The prices certainly aren’t like the prices of beef. The prices of beef have doubled during this time," Delaune said. “So, wouldn’t that be a blessing if the shrimp prices did the same? What we will see, I believe is a delayed gratification on the pricing just because there’s so much inventory of shrimp left over from the previous season that would have been depleted and our inventories would have been low for us to make room for this upcoming season. But we don’t know what the prices are going to do.”

Delaune said shrimp season is like a gold rush - you have to get it while the getting is good.

He’s planning on the fisherman bringing in thousands and thousands of shrimp in the coming days and he’ll be there, on the dock, with a shovel in hand ready to unload the shrimp and send the shrimpers back out for more.

“I’ll be here all night for the next several days. So, I’m going to hear the sounds of motors revving and fisherman screaming. It’s music to my ears,” Delaune said.

Currently, it is brown shrimp season but when the white shrimp come, that’s an indicator that the season is over, Delaune said. The season usually lasts 4-5 weeks.

Shrimp season lasts until the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission decides to close it down.

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