Texas shrimpers are nearing the end of the spring season as the closure is set for 30 minutes after sundown today. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) sets the closure date based on trawl and bag seine samples and other shrimping industry information.
“The closure is designed to allow these small shrimp to grow to a larger, more valuable size before they are vulnerable to harvest,” Robin Riechers, TPWD coastal fisheries division director, said in a Beaumont Enterprise report. “The goal is to achieve optimum benefits for the shrimping industry while providing proper management to protect the shrimp.”
The Texas shrimping season will open again at an unspecified time in July. Texas waters nine nautical miles from the coast will be closed and federal waters will be closed to 200 nautical miles.