Tulian. — Louisiana Shrimp Industry. Ill 



The phenomenal increase in the shrimp industry has 

 been due to several interrelated factors; the introduction of 

 the trawl, the enforcement of certain close seasons, and the 

 correction of wasteful practices, which factors will be dis- 

 cussed below. 



The otter trawl for the purpose of catching shrimp made 

 its first appearance in Louisiana during 1917. Its great 

 advantage over the large shrimp seine as a labor saving 

 device, often enabling one man to take the place of ten (10), 

 and greatly increasing the shrimp output per man, was de- 

 cidedly in its favor from the standpoint of the commercial 

 fisheries. From four trawls operated during 1917, the num- 

 ber increased to 250 during 1919, and 983 during 1921. 

 The number of shrimp seines has decreased over 50 percent 

 during the same period. It is clearly evident that the in- 

 creased catch of shrimp is entirely due to the trawls which 

 opened up new territory, the bottoms of our brackish water 

 lakes and bays and the coastal waters of the Gulf, whereas 

 the seine operated to advantage only along the shores. 

 Normally, the smaller shrimp take to the shallower waters, 

 except when migrating through passes. The trawls need 

 not necessarily catch the smaller sized shrimp during the 

 open seasons, and during the colder months when the large 

 shrimp take to deeper waters, there is a close season on in- 

 side waters where the smaller ones congregate, this season 

 extending from December 1st to February 15th inclusive. 

 The destruction of young shrimp, thus prevented, combined 

 with the fact that the adult shrimp spawn in the open gulf 

 where they are not as readily available during the breeding 

 season, are in my opinion the factors which will permit 

 still further expansion of the shrimp industry without reach- 

 ing the critical point. 



The department has had little or no difficulty in enforc- 

 ing the close seasons and the observance of the law is 

 attributable to the co-operation received from the more in- 

 telligent fishermen and dealers, and to the services of the 

 departments field inspectors and other employees. Unfor- 

 tunately, there has been observed now and then a disposition 

 on the part of some of the fishermen to take undersized 

 shrimp to some of the drying platforms where the manage- 

 ment did not seem to realize the injury they were doing to 

 the business by purchasing same and thereby encouraging 

 business of dubious character to the detriment of a profi- 

 table and legitimate business a few months later. Some of 

 the drying platforms referred to did not refuse to take shrimp 

 measuring two and a half or three inches long. Platform 

 operators have been warned that the purchase of any con- 



