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Rick
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Topic: "YOU CAN'T CATCH SHRIMP IN THE OCEAN!!! Posted: 12 July 2018 at 4:42pm |
Reviewing the NCDMF "big book of statistics" annual report, I found the 2016 white shrimp landings data to be interesting. The table/graph below shows data pulled from several places to present one picture.
White shrimp landings in 2016 (8.3-million pounds) exceeded the long-term average landings history of brown, white and pink combined, which is 6.6-million pounds for the 44-year period of 1972-2015. As we know, the last two years (2016 and 2017) have seen phenomenal record total shrimp landings approaching 14-million pounds, more than double the long-term average.
How many times has the Division and public been told- "We have to shrimp on the inside. YOU CAN'T CATCH SHRIMP IN THE OCEAN!"?
They did a darn good job of catching shrimp in the ocean in 2016.
Is it possible that the total value of 2016 white shrimp landings could have come 100% from the ocean if the small shrimp were left alone to grow in our estuaries? There were about 4-million pounds of estuarine landed white shrimp worth about $9-million. I believe those shrimp could have higher landing value per pound if caught in the ocean at a larger size. That added-value could more than offset any loss in pounds.
South Carolina pushed trawlers to the ocean in the late 1980s. Are there any studies on how that affected the total value of their fishery? That progressive action, and SC banning gillnets in the estuaries, is something North Carolina certainly needs to evaluate in good-faith. While there are certainly direct costs to the commercial fisheries, there could be mitigating benefits.
We need to rethink depleting our estuarine species like spot, croaker, weakfish and blue crab as shrimp trawl bycatch. Those juvenile bycatch discards are worth $100s of millions, if not billions of dollars, in economic benefit and just might be wasted for little benefit to commercial shrimp landings value.

Edited by Rick - 12 July 2018 at 6:40pm
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fiogf49gjkf0d NC Fisheries Management- Motto: Too Little, Too Late, Too Bad Slogan: Shrimp On! Mission Statement: Enable Commercial Fishing At Any and All Cost, Regardless of Impact to the Resource.
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chasintrout
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Posted: 13 July 2018 at 12:29am |
U think the last two record warm winters has anything to do with the higher landing numbers? What about the fact that Virginia had a huge population of white shrimp. Something they have NEVER seen. In NC, waiting on shrimp to grow and enter the ocean to harvest us setting it’s fisherman up for disaster. One hurricane could result in losing a whole years crop for harvesting. NC’s disadvantage is it’s on the northern end of the shrimps migration. If a hurricane comes we lose the vast majority of them. States south of us can still harvest NC’s migrating shrimp.
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TomM
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Posted: 13 July 2018 at 4:50am |
Va does not shrimp the bay. You would kill everything else for a shrimp. If there were fish then at this hour would be breakfast and launch. Greed has no bounds.
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chriselk
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Posted: 13 July 2018 at 6:25am |
Tragedy of the Commons.
I was unaware that white shrimp belonged to NC. When did that happen?
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The above comments are my personal opinion and do not represent those of any organizations or agencies I may be a member of.
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Redfisher
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Posted: 13 July 2018 at 7:40am |
A crop for harvesting...wow.
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Ray Brown
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Posted: 13 July 2018 at 7:50am |
NC boats shrimp off Georgia and SC every year so I find it interesting that if the shrimp is thought to have left NC that it is uncatchable once in the ocean. If NC boats can catch them off Georgia and SC when they have left those states or off Cape Henry when they have left Chesapeake Bay then what, other than politics, says they can't catch them here?
During the last shrimp AC meetings long time shrimpers were asked if shrimp traveled the same routes once in the ocean or if they scattered. The answer given was that the shrimp use two routes. One near shore and one further offshore. Pressed further for the ability to catch then in the ocean off NC the answer given was "we know exactly where they are when they leave NC."
They aren't lost, they are just moving. NC summer flounder boats have no problem following their target species.
Why shrimp in the secondary nursery of a shrimp when you can get them when they are grown and more valuable?
I know; because in NC, you simply can.
Edited by Ray Brown - 13 July 2018 at 7:51am
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I am a native of NC. The "bycatch captial of the east coast of the US". Our legislature lets us kill more fish for no reason than any other Atlantic Coast state. I hope they are proud.
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Rick
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Posted: 13 July 2018 at 8:55am |
chriselk wrote:
Tragedy of the Commons |
Get mine before it's gone or others get it first. No worries about total impact.
Edited by Rick - 13 July 2018 at 8:55am
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fiogf49gjkf0d NC Fisheries Management- Motto: Too Little, Too Late, Too Bad Slogan: Shrimp On! Mission Statement: Enable Commercial Fishing At Any and All Cost, Regardless of Impact to the Resource.
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