The shrimp cpr-m during the spring and summer in the open 

 vators of tho occ:ai. In the L-.irval stage tho shrimp float freely in 

 the vrater and arc moro or loss at the mercy of tho currents. Tho young 

 shrijiip then oiove to tho ijisido lyatoro wliere they can bo taken in great 

 abundance in the sounds, bays, rivers, and bayous throughout the spring 

 and suraaer. The inside uaters apparently servo as nursery grounds for 

 tho youn;^ shrimp. 



As tho shrimp grow they tend to seek larger bodies of water 

 and by Juno, July or Auf^ust, depending upon the locality, some of them 

 attain sufficient size (about U inches) to enter the commercial fishery. 

 By September practically the entire fishery is composed of young shrimp 

 derived from the spaiming of the preceding spring and suiruner. With the 

 oncoming of vdnter and the resultant cooling of the waters tho larger 

 shrimp move to deeper and more stabilized bodies of water such as the 

 sounds and the open waters of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. 

 Dui'ing the v/inter, at times of extremely cold weather, the shallow in- 

 side waters xrhich are readily affected by changes in tenperature are 

 frequently entirely depopulated of shriji^p. Throughout the winter the 

 groxHih rate of the shrJJiip is lessened but with the coming of spring and 

 the warmer waters thoy again start groi/ing rapidly. At this time their 

 sex products begin to mature and spasming follovjs. The disappearance of 

 tho mature shrimp is associated with spasming. From the evidence gathered 

 the cor.mion shrimp apparently dies after spawning ojid must, therefore, be * 

 considered an annual. (Lindner and Anderson 1956) 



In conformity with this biological pattern, the fishing season 

 starts along the Atlantic coast in spring and moves steadily southward, 

 ending in Doccinber or later in the Mexican grounds. Shrimping in the 

 Carolinas and Georgia begins in May, reaches a poalc in midsTimmer, and 

 drops off until the close of the season in November. On the Florida 

 east coast thci season starts in June and continues through December, In 

 the northern Gulf coast area, vjhite shrimp is landed from Augoist through 

 January and periodicaUy through the remaining months. There are two 

 seasons for white shrimp in Texas— one in the spring and one in the fall. 

 The spring season is of minor importance, 



Brotm shrimp follows a similar seasonal pattern in that heaviest 

 runs begin in northern areas and progress steadily soxithward as the season 

 groxjs oldor. Heavy brown shrimp runs start in July and last through Jan- 

 uaiy. Pink shrimp, found principally in the Dry Tortugas, has few season- 

 al limitations. 



To protect the growing shrimp the various states have enacted 

 statutes establishing or authorizing regiaations prohibiting or restric- 

 ting activities seasonally. 



The pink shrimp fishery on the Dry Tortugas and Campeche grounds 

 is seasonally affected by the hurricanes which greatly increase the haz- 

 ardj to boats during the months from July to September, 



39 



