APPENDIX III APPENDIX III 
South Atlantic 
There is no overall management scheme in effect for 
those species common to the South Atlantic States. Laws 
and regulations regarding seasons, gear, areas, and/or the 
size of shrimp taken vary by State. For example, no mini- 
mum shrimp count is specified in the Carolinas while Georgia 
limits the catch to 45 shrimp (heads on) per pound and 
Florida allows a count of 70 shrimp per pound (decapitated). 
In 1973 a cooperative State-Federal management committee 
was established to examine the feasibility and desirability 
of managing the shrimp fishery on a regional basis. The 
shrimp fishery was selected for cooperative management be- 
cause it was the most valuable fishery in the Southeast 
region and was evenly distributed among the States. 
By May 1975 a proposed comprehensive management plan 
proposal for the South Atlantic shrimp fishery had been 
completed. The plan recommends actions to deal with the 
problems identified during the initial planning phase. A 
State official believed that implementing recommendations 
would begin after formal acceptance by the States. As of 
June 1, 1976, the plan had not been accepted by the States 
due to uncertainties concerning implementation of the 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976. 
Gulf of Mexico 
There is no overall management program for the Gulf 
shrimp fishery nor has one been proposed. Like the South 
Atlantic States, State-to-State variations in laws and reg- 
ulations exist. Texas limits the catch count to 39 shrimp 
(heads on) per pound. Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama 
allow a count of 68 per pound, while Florida limits the 
count to 47 per pound but allows 5 percent of the catch to 
be greater than 47 count. Two States limit mesh sizes, two 
do not, and the Florida limit varies on a county-by-county 
basis. 
State agencies usually regulate shrimping in the 
nursery area (bays and bayous) to insure survival of small 
shrimp until they are large enough to migrate from the 
estuarine area. Passage by the United States of the 12-mile 
contiguous fishing zone in 1966 aids in protecting from 
foreign fishing fleets that part of the Gulf resource with- 
in the 12-mile zone. (About half of the shrimp caught in 
1975 by U.S. vessels off the Gulf States were taken in the 
12-mile zone) 
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