The Shrimp and the Shrimp Fishery of the Southern United States

THE SHRIMP AND THE SHRIMP FISHERY OF THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE BUREAU OF COMMERCIAL FISHERIES

Fishery Leaflet 589 THE SHRIMP AND THE SHRIMP FISHERY OF TH E SOUTHERN UNITED STATES

WILLIAM W . ANDERSON

Fishery Biologist (Research) Bureau o f Commercial Fisheries Biological Laboratory Brunswick, Georgia

'he s h r imp f i s hery of t he United States i s shrimp valued at about $69 million to t he tered primar ily in the e ight South Atlant ic fishermen we r e taken in 1963. It ranks first Gulf States (No r t h Carolina to Texas), in value of all t he fisheries of the United re about 2 16 m illion pounds of heads -on States.

Figure l.--Gulf of Mexico medium sized shrimp trawler.

~h ree s p e cies of shrimp, all members of Atlantic production (la r gely in Nort h Caro fam ily (Penaeidae), are of t he greatest lina). nme-rc i a l im port ance. Separation of the Two other s h r imps are of minor importance. ch by species in rec ent years indicates The sea bob (Xiphopeneus kroye ri), is taken t t he common or white shrimp (Penaeus mainly in Louisiana and compr ises only about iferus) i s no longer t he dom inant species 1 percent of the catch . Exploratory fishing the c atches; in 1963 it contr ibuted about 36 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau 'cent of t h e catch in the G ulf of Mexico of Commercial Fisheries, has indicated com I about 4 8 pe rcent along the South Atlantic, mercial concentrations of another species, the !reas t he brown shr imp (Penaeus aztecus) royal red shrimp (Hyrnenopenaeus robustus), npri sed about 44 percent of t he cat ch in in deep waters off t he Continental Shelf in the Gulf and about 48 pe rcent along the Gulf and South Atlantic regions. These royal Ith Atlantic. T he pink or brown-spotted red shrimp occur from about 175 to 300 'imp (Penaeus d u orarum) yielded about 19 fathoms and have not as yet been fished 'cent of the G u lf c atc h (largely in the extensively, although a few vessels are work rtugas area) and 4 percent of the South ing the g rounds to a limited extent. Figure 2.--Catch of royal red shrimp from about 175 fathoms off east coast of Florida, on deck of Bureau's 1--1 / V Silve r Bay. (Photo by Exploratory Fishing and Gear Research Station, Brunswick, Ga.)

YOUNG~

OCEAN I ~-- OEBO / ADULT EGGS

Figure 3.--Diagram of the life cycle of white shrimp (after Ander son and Lunz 1965).

2 :he sea bob t he last t wo pairs of walking to a narrow coastal belt not more than 8 to , a re slender and much elongated. It was 10 miles off t he coast (less than 10 fathoms). n t he se four elong ate legs and the antennae T he preadults inhabit brackish water and a t :eele rs t hat the name " sea bob" apparently times are found In water tha t is almost derived. Sea bob is a c orruption of the fresh. nch " s ix barbes" or s ix beards, t he name ~n to t hi s shrimp by the Louisiana f ishe r- Spawning 1 of French descent. T h e sea bob does not in nearly t he s ize of the other commercial T he whit e shrimp, unlike the crab and cies . c r ayf ish, does not carry the egg s attached to 11 of these species of s h rimp have t he appendage s on t he ventr al surface of t he t t h ree pairs of thoracic or w a lking legs abdomen but lays t hem directly into t he wate r. which there are f ive pairs in all) ending The eggs i ssue from t he bases of the third , chelae or p incers, but can be distinguished walking leg s o f the female and are apparently var ious differences. The white, brown, fe rtilized on emission by sperm contained in pink s h r imp h ave teeth both above and a caps ule called a spermat ophore. This cap ,won the rostrum or head spine , whereas sule is transferred to the female by the sea bob and royal red s h r imp have teeth and, apparently with t he aid of the petasma, . on t he upper surface. T he brown and a ttached bet ween the last several pairs of : s hrimp can be distingui s hed from t he walking leg s . A female produces from 500,000 :e by t he presence of grooves on eit her to 1,000,000 eggs in a single spawning , and ~ of t he rostrum which extend to the back it is probable t hat some females at least rgin of t he carapace or head s hell; in t he spawn more t han once. Most, if not all, te shrimp t he se gro oves do not extend spawning takes place at sea and not in t he re t han half the length of the carapace . estuarine inland waters, and occurs mainly , brown and pink s h rimp are not so readily from lat e March or early April to t he end of arated; t he best field character is the September. t h of the groove s along e ac h s ide of the ridge on t he s ixt h tail segment- - in the Eggs and larvae wn shrimp t his is wide open (permitting ry of a f inge rnail in fai r-s ized specimens), The eggs are spherical, about 1/ 75 of an :reas in the pink s h r imp it is almost closed. inch in diameter, and sink to t he bottom. T he 'he males can be distinguished from t he larval development apparently covers at least ales by t he presence of a structure called 10 distinct stage s excluding t he egg. These petasma, which appears as a projection consist o f f ive nauplair, t hree protozoeal, he inner side of t he f irst pai r of swimming and two mysis stages (technical terms for l (underneath first tail segment). stage s of growth) . f e know more about t he white shrimp t han T h e larval development of the white shrimp of the othe rs. A brief outline of it s life requires from 2 to 3 weeks. Some 20 to 24 :o ry is given here as an example ofpenae id hours after the egg is spawned the young imp development. shrimp, called nauplius and resembling a tiny mite, breaks t he egg membrane and emerges. Thi s minute organism (about 1/ 75 LIFE HISTORY OF THE COMMON OR of an inch long) i s to a great extent at the WroTE SHRIMP me rcy of t he prevailing currents . During t he next 24 to 36 hours t he nauplius undergoes litat five successive molts to become a protozoea about 1/ 25 of an inch long . It now has seven 'he white shri mp i s most abundant in areas pairs of appendages, a pair of compound eyes , c are characterized by an inland, brackish and a complete alimentary tract. Prior to t his rsh c onnected by p asses wit h an adjacent stage the food of the nauplius has been the llow , offsh ore area of relat ively high yolk material carried over from the egg. inity and mud or clay bottom. The o ffshore This food supply is now exhausted, and hence .racteristics s e em to be required by adults forth t he protozoea must capture its own food . perhaps also by the larvae, and t he inland to survive . T his transitional period is without rshe s appear to be requi red by t he post doubt a critical one . After s everal more val preadult. T h e adults are rarely found in molts and stages the organism ends it s larval ndance in the Gulf of Mexico in d epths phase and assumes the general proportions of ate r t h an 30 fathom s ; along t he South a miniature adult . At t he end of two postlarval ~ntic coast the distribution appears limited stages and 15 to 20 days after hat ching, t he

3 young shrimp is only about 1/5 of an inch 7 mch s (173 mm.) by May 1; they ar long and is still planktonic . During this period about I year old, mature , and WIll spa of early development the young shrimp have durmg this sprmg s ason. Because the spa moved from t he saline o ffs hore spawning area ing season covers a period of about 6 mont t o the brackish in s ide marshes, bays, and any number of c ombinations of growth a estuaries . Upon reaching t he s e "nursery possible, dependmg on the month of spawni g rounds " t hey adopt for t he first tlme (it IS believed) a benthIc or bottom existence . Migrations The white s hrimp has very definite patter Young s hrimp of movements, but they vary in dlffere Young shrimp about I 3 of an inc h long areas . are found during the sprmg and summe r In In one r sp C' • f movements are s imll the brackIsh mSlde areas whIch serve as in all locahtles -- afte r he young shrimp ftr t heIr nurse ry grounds . ThIs habItat IS a rich make heIr appearance on t he inland flshil feedmg ground characterized by shallow watpr, grounds thay gradually work t hei r way I muddy bottoms , rather wIdely fluctu.Jt ng wards the sea. Once the shnmp have reachi seasonal t emperatures , and moderate to low the outsIde waters theIr movemen s vary w s ahmty. the sIze o f the shrimp, t he locality, and aJ As the young grow, they mov from the parently also t he tlme of he year. Sm. shallow waters of the marsh, bayou, and shrimp 130 mm . (abou 5 mches) or less lagoon m t o t he deeper creeks, rivers , and tot al length do not seem to undertake al bays, making t heIr f Irst appearance on t he extenSIve movemen s . T he large shnmp, mo inside hshing e,rounds when about Z mches than 130 mm . long , show dIstInct behavII long . T he young f irst appear m the estuarine patterns whIch vary WIth locahty. flshmg grounds m June or July, dependm!! On the Atlantlc coast, he bulk of t h e wh upon the area, and by July or August they or common shrimp, after mIgrating fro have begun to appear In outsIde waters . The Inshore to offshore waters, do not move I estuarine wat ers generally contain all sizes ve ry deep wate r far from t he coas . lnstea of shrimp; smaller shrimp occur in the waters they move parallel to the shorelme WI t h J farther mland and larger shrimp m waters s easons -- southward durmg t he fall and ear nearest the open ocean. These dIfferences in wmter and northward in .at e wInter and ear size appear to depend mo r e on locahty than sprmg. In our taggmg experiments, t h e longe salmlty. southward migration was by a shnmp releasl m • orth Carolma m October and recaptur( Growth 95 days later off t he east coast of F lOrida about 360 miles south of whe re it was ri Growth IS rapid durmg sprmg, summer, and leased. The greatest nort hward migratIOn earl y fall, and ne ghglble In the wmte r. The by a shrimp released in central Florida pe nods of rapId and slow growth appear to January and recaptured 168 days l ater abo be assocIated WIth temperature; If so, we 260 miles to t he north, off the coast of Sou could expect growth t o vary somewhat from Carolma. year t o year and win locahty. A general Along t he LouiSIana coast west of statement of growth IS further comphcated by MiSSISSIPPI RIver t h e large shrimp mOl the fact t hat shrimp of different sIzes grow offshore and scatter durmg the fall aJ at different rates. We beheve t hat shrimp winte r . At all t Ime s they seem to be driftil reach a little over 3 mches (80 mm.) m about, like cattle on open range land. T J length (from t ip of rostrum to t he end of only defmite patterns seem to be offs hol telson) about 2 months after spawning . On and onshore movements, which evident ly a l this basIs and from established g rowth rates, associated with temperature changes aJ an example o f growth is presented: Spawning spawning , and a tendency to concentrate on May 1; young shrimp reach a length of a c ertain areas, probably because of bettl little over 3 inches (approximately 80 mm.) fe eding condit ions. We believe the more ( by July I, 4 - 1/3 inches (110 mm .) by August I, less aimless wanderings of the shrimp (b 5 inches (13 0 mm.) by September 1, 5 - 3/ 4 not the offshore and onshore movement inches (145 mm .) by O ctober I, and about represent a search for food . There appea l 6 - 1/5 inche s (15 8 mm.) by ovember I; to be a natural barrier at the Missi ss ip g r owt h from ' ovember 1 to March I is River for no tagged individuals crossed ea neghgible, but if we assume 1/ 12-inch (2 mm.) to west or we st to east. g rowth during this period, our s h rimp average West of the Mississippi Rive r a possib about 6 - 1/ 3 inche s (160 mm.) long on March I, movement of shrimp from central and southel the beginning of the spring rapid growing Texas to the coast of Mexico i s indicatE season; they reach a length of about 6 - 2/ 3 during the fall and early winter, probab: inches (168 mm . ) by April I and almost comparable to the movement along t h e Soul

6 antiC coas of the Umted States. Llk WIS , known t ha re IS evidenc of a south-to-north migra caus of t he spring from northern M xico to Shnmp also con

IOD SHRIMP

of shrimp is appar ntly high , and Shrimp occaSIonal • number that hve more t han I year is a (the typical odor aSSOCla all percentage of t he total populatlOn and which is commonly hough c probably not of great import ance. Some preserva ives pu on he hIlmp. On imp live at least 16 months and possibly trary t his condition occurs b callS h ger, but as far as the fishery is concerned has eaten various marin organl common or white shrimp can be considered Impart the odor. Croakers and 0 h annual. hving fis h freq u n Iy pos ss iodoform smell, which IS undoub lod by a source similar 0 ha of Although possibly unpleasan , I The shrimp is omnivorous - - it eats plant ful. tritus , worms, crustaceans, and small pllusks. Mud and sand also can be found in I m testinal trac t . In aquaria it has been METHODS OF CAPT RE served to attack and devour small fish and ner shr imp. Ash r im p is particularly Unt il the otter or shnmp rawl was m ro sceptible to att ack from another member of duced some t ime between 1912 dnd I same species during the proces s of molt most effiCient gear for ca chlnR rlrrp w , when t he old shell has been discarded the haul seme. At about that Imt', h. B x d t he new one is still soft. of Flshenes, at ItS sta ion In B -allior, .c.., had been usmg a small 0 ex tr wi 0 coli. c lscellaneous manne forms. Fishermen, no Ing r.d shrimp were bemg taken by these ne '" eldop .-d I, The shrimp, like other crustaceans, wears idea, and constructed larg'r rawl" for Il t ~ skeleton on the outside of the body and in t he commerCial shrimp fIshery. Appc\r n h', order t o grow must cast off this shell and t he first shrimp trawllng took place ..l place it wit h a new and large r one. T he Fernandma, Fla. Use of h prt' d equency wit h which thes e shells are cast is rapidly throughout the sou h A Ian IC and Gulf It known, but with young shrimp during the regions, and by I q 17 trawls held b co (' ~ ~ lason of rapid growt h t he interval between standar 1 commerCial gar. olts appears to be relatively short. In the The haul se nef!sherygrad'Jallydh PP"ar d ':Jcess of shedding, all of t he hard structures after t he trawl was developed d d pll the shrimp are cast off and renewed. spread use. LOUISIana was r e The whit e shrimp swims forward by the use which t he seine was employed. D rm t h pleopods or abdom inal feet . When 1930's, a few seInes were s tl bc ng '1., d, "'1' I ht ened or when rapid movement is required t hey dropped out one by on> un tl cl P r n e shrimp, with a flip of the abdomen, can none appears to be In opera lon, end t, r \ jopel itself backward with remarkable speed. remains as the exclUSIve gear for comrr rc. I hiS flexing of the powerful muscular abdomen operations. so enables t he shrimp to leap clear of t he IntroductlOn of t".e trawl con pIt f.Y rc··ol.- te r . t lonized the shnmp .nd·ls ry. '.\ r ... r cl I. seine could be used only III S ", required a large c r NUTRITIVE VALUE OF SHRIMP operated for onlY a summer and fall, h Shnmp possess the same general food able fo r use over a m ct gr roperties that are commonly attributed to could be operated WI h f \\. r rr hery products. In general, marine products greater productIon per rran, a re an e cellent and economical source of more efflclen ype of ge r. I' I hi r digestible proteins , a good source of opened up en lrely new ro nd ltamin , and an excellent source of minerals rapid expansIOn of the fl r. n·. I quantity and variety. Shnmp are unusually The sIze of rawb now In Ich in mineral and contam a high natural he 10 -foo ed for )n en of iodme. A a consequence, shnmp of s rlmp, 0 ve ke oth r manne foods are Ideal for ho e may. ave a prt'ad rea m which olter i prevalent. It I well Its di en':o' d p ncl r powe r o f t he vessel. A recent innov at ion is JOH SO , F R ED F., and MILTON J. LINDNl t he u s e o f t wo s maller trawl s (about 40 feet ), 1934. Shri mp industry of the South Atlaz one on each side o f t h e vessel, instead of one a nd Gulf states. U. S. Bur. F i sh., larger trawl. ve st. Rep. 21, 8 3 p. FIshing for whit e shr imp i s a l most entirely JOYCE , EDWIN A ., JR. during daytime , whe reas trawling for t he 1965. T he commercial shrimps of the nor brown and pink shrimps i s a n ighttime opera east c oast of Florida. Florida St tlOn. B oard of Conserv., P rof. Pap. Ser The following publicat ions c ontain further 224 p . and mor e detailed i nform ation on the shrimp a nd KING, JOSEPH E. shrimp fishery of the s o uth ern United Stat es . 1948. A study of the reproduct i ve org AJ\'DERSON. WI LLIAM w. of t he common marine shrimp, Pena 1956. January to April d i stribut ion of the setif e rus (Linnaeus). Biol. Bull. (Wo common shr imp of t he S o uth Atlantic Hole) 94 (3): 244-262. Continent al Shel f. U .S. F i sh Wildl. KUTKUHN , JOSEPH H. Serv., Spec . Sci. Rep. Fish . 171, 14 p. 1962. Gulf of Mexico commerci al shri AI\"DERSON , WILLIAM W., JOSEP H E. KING, populations - -tre nds and character and MILTON J . LIN DNER. tics, 1956 -5 9. U.S. F i sh Wildl. Se l 1949. Early s t age s in t he life history of the Fish . Bull. 62: 343 - 402. corn m 0 n mar ine s h rimp, Penaeus LINDNER, MILT ON J ., and WILLIAM set iferus (Linnaeus). Biol. Bull. (Woods ANDERSON, Hole) 96 (2): 168 -172. 1956. Growth, migrations, spawning ANDERSON , WILLIAM W. , a n d M ILTON J. s i ze distributions of shrimp, Pena LINDNER. setiferus. U.S. F i sh Wildl. Se r v. , F i 1943 . A provis ional key t o t he s h r imps of Bull. 56: 553 - 645. the family Pen aeid ae wi t h especial PEARSON , J OHN C . reference t o Ame r ican forms. Trans. 1939. The early life histories of so Amer. F ish. Soc . 7 3: 284- 3 19. American Penaeid ae , chiefly t he co A]'.;DERSO , W . W. , M . J. LINDN ER, and mercial s h rim p, Penaeus setife J. E. KING . (Linnaeus) . Bull. U.S. Bur. Fish--:- 1949. T he shr imp f i s h ery of t h e southern 1- 73. Unit ed St a t e s. Com. F i s h . R ev. 11 (2), SP R IN GE R, STEWART. 17 p . 1955. Exploitation of deep - water shrimF Al\DERSON , WILLIAM W., and G. ROBERT t he Gulf of Mexico. P roc . Gulf Cal LGI"Z . Fish . Inst., 7th Annu. Sess.: 6 7-71. 1965 . Southern s h r i m p - - a valua ble regional VOSS, GILBERT L . resource. Atlant ic Stat e s M arine Fish. 1955. A key to t he comme r cial and pot« Comm . Leaflet 4 , 6 p . tially comm e r c ial shrimp of the faIr BULLIS, HARVEY R ., JR. Penaeidae of the western No rth Atlar. 1957. Royal red s hrim p-- A new South and the Gulf of Mexico. Florida St Atlantic re s our ce . P roc. Gulf C a rib. Boar d Conserv., Tech . Ser. 14, 23 p. Fish. Inst., 9t h Annu. S e ss.: 56 - 6 0. WEYMOUTH, F. W ., MILTON J. L INDNE IDYLL, CLARENCE P . and W. W . AN DERSON, 1950. A new fi s hery f o r g rooved shri m p in 1933. Preliminar y report on the life hist( southern Flo r ida. C o rn. F i s h . Rev. of the co rn m 0 n shr imp, P enaE 12 (3) : 10-1 6 . setiferus (Linnaeus). Bull. U.S. B 1957. The commercial shr i mp industry of F i s h . 48: 1-26. Florida. Florida St a t e BoardConserv., WILLIAMS , AUSTIN B. Educ. Ser. 6 (reis s ue), 30 p . 1965. Marine decapod crustaceans of ' 1\ LR.SEN, E . S . , and C . p . ID YL L . Carolinas . U . S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Fi 1959. The Tortugas shr i mp fi s h ery: t h e Bull. 65: 1 - 298. fishing fleet and its m e t hod of ope r a tion. Florida St a t e Board C onserv., Tech. Ser. 29, 35 p . Rev i sed January 1 ~

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