Southern Shirmp Alliance Explains Why Unnecessary Rock Shrimp Fishing Closure Should Be Reversed
August 7, 2025 | 5 min to read
The Southern Shrimp Alliance is pushing the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council to approve Coral Amendment 11/Shrimp Amendment 12, which would restore access to vital rock shrimp fishing areas mistakenly closed for Oculina coral protection. Despite prior closures lacking scientific backing, recent studies confirm no coral presence in the proposed Shrimp Fishery Access Area. The ongoing economic crisis for American shrimpers, exacerbated by foreign competition, underscores the urgency of reopening these waters to support the industry.
The Southern Shrimp Alliance strongly urges the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC or Council) to take final action to approve Coral Amendment 11/Shrimp Amendment 12 to allow rock shrimp fishing access to waters that were incorrectly closed to protect Oculina coral habitat. On July 29, SSA filed formal comments that support the adoption and implementation of the Council’s Preferred Alternative 2, which would restore access to historically important rock shrimp fishing grounds through a Shrimp Fishery Access Area (SFAA).
Issue Background
The South Atlantic shrimp industry has long been committed to coral protection, using state-of-the-art WinPlot™ technology to precisely monitor net positions on sandy bottoms and avoid coral structures. Although the threat of shrimp fishing activity to coral is extremely small to nonexistent, the industry supports reasonable measures to protect coral.
However, Coral Amendment 8 passed in 2014 unnecessarily closed large areas to rock shrimp fishermen despite extensive scientific and legal analysis and accompanying documentation showing no coral presence. Since that time, federal and state scientists and fishery managers have admitted that underlying errors resulted in the loss of shrimpers’ access to traditional shrimp grounds.
Yet, a decade later, the closures remain, despite the measures lacking sound science and failing to balance legitimate coral protection objectives with the economy of our industry and fishery-dependent communities.
Scientific Evidence Supports Reopening
In recent years, scientific surveys have definitively confirmed the absence of coral in the SFAA proposed in Preferred Alternative 2. Mapping studies conducted by the Southeast Fisheries Science Center in 2022 and the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster in 2025, “did not note the presence of live, standing dead, or coral rubble within the proposed SFAA.” This represents the best scientific information available as mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Act, finally confirming what the rock shrimp fishery has consistently asserted. Preferred Alternative 2 provides a sufficient and effective buffer for protecting Oculina located to the west of the SFAA that would restore access to important traditional rock shrimp fishing grounds.
Economic Crisis and Presidential Directive
American shrimpers are facing unprecedented economic decline as they are held to the highest conservation and production standards in the world, while illegal and under-regulated foreign suppliers enjoy unfettered access to American consumers, flooding the market with cheap, unethically produced shrimp. Addressing the substantial seafood trade deficit and overburdensome regulations of American fisheries in April 2025, President Trump directed Regional Fishery Management Councils to reduce unnecessary burdens on domestic fishing in his Executive Order Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, including restoring access to traditional, valuable fishing grounds such as the SFAA.
Comment Period and Next Steps
On Thursday, August 7 in St. Augustine, Florida, Council staff will provide a second public hearing to provide an overview of the proposed actions and answer clarifying questions.
Members of the American shrimp industry are strongly encouraged to express their support for the Council’s Preferred Alternative 2 at this hearing.
Following the public comment period, the Council will review all submitted comments and testimony before making final decisions on the proposed amendments. The amendments will then be subject to federal review and approval processes before implementation.
More information on the public hearing and submitting written comments: https://safmc.net/posts/reminder-council-seeks-public-comment-on-federal-fisheries-issues/
Read SSA’s July 29, 2025 written comments: https://shrimpalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SSA-comments-coral-A11-Shrimp-A12-rock-shrimp-SFAA-f-7-29-25.pdf
About the Southern Shrimp Alliance
The Southern Shrimp Alliance (SSA) is an organization of shrimp fishermen, shrimp processors, and other members of the domestic industry in the eight warmwater shrimp producing states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas.