THE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE INDUSTRY - GEIIERAL CHARACTERISTICS 



Geographic factors have had a large part in shaping the shrimp 

 fishery. In all probabilitj', they \d.ll play an important rolo, too, in 

 the futtire development of the industry. 



The forni and geologic structure of the coast line have deter- 

 mined the sites of ports. Distances from newly discovered shrimp beds 

 have influenced the location and, in many cases, the relocation of fish- 

 ing activities. Weather conditions prevailing in specific areas are 

 responsible for the peculiar seasonal pattern of the fishery, Corunerclal, 

 industrial, and to soma extent agricultural conditions, too, have affected 

 the growth and character of the fishing segment, its organization, and 

 its labor force. 



In general, the location of the shrimp industry is closely tied 

 in with the geography of fisliing grounds. This is true not only of the 

 fishery but also of the processing segment of the industry* In recent 

 years only, a number of processors have located at some distance from 

 shrimp ports as the result of the growing importance of such considerations 

 as nearness to markets, strategic distance to several home ports, and 

 availability of marine and transport facilities. 



The coastal waters off the South Atlantic States and the Gulf 

 of Mexico coast contain the bxilk of the domestic shrimp resources. The 

 industry, therefore, is concentrated in the eight states bordering on 

 these waters starting with North Carolina on the Atlantic and ending 

 with Texas on the western side of the Gulf, 



The Shriinp Fishery in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Areas 



The shrimp fishery of the South Atlantic States extends approx- 

 imately from Beaufort, North Carolina, to Fort Pierce, Florida. Fishing 

 is conducted within ten miles of the shore and in the sounds and estuaries, 

 Most of the ocean fishery, however, is conducted between the shoreline 

 and about sia miles offshore. The fishery is almost continuous from about 

 Bull Bay, South Carolina, to the St. Johns River, Florida, while in the 

 northern and southern extremes of the range, the fishing grounds are 

 scattered, (see figure I - 1) 



In an attempt to extend the area of operations of the south 

 Atlantic shrimp fishery, the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries of the United 

 States Fish and Wildlife Service initiated exploratory fishing operations 

 in offshore waters from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina to Cape Canaveral, 

 Florida, in March 1956. 



Until about 19^0, the domestic shrimp fishery in the Gulf of 

 Mexico embraced an area from Apalachicola, Florida, to the Mexican 

 border in Texas, and included sounds, bay, bayous, and coastal waters 



