NOAA Fisheries announces federal waters from 9 to 200 nautical miles off Texas will close to shrimp trawling 30 minutes after official sunset, local time, on May 15, 2020, corresponding to the time Texas closes its state waters to shrimp trawling.
Federal waters off Texas are west of the line (from A to B) shown in the map below. Fishermen should not use any other division between Texas and Louisiana federal waters, including lines on NOAA Chart 1116A, which is to be used for mineral rights and not for navigation.
WHY THIS CLOSURE IS HAPPENING:
The shrimp fishery is closed annually off Texas to allow brown shrimp to reach a larger and more valuable size prior to harvest, and to prevent waste of brown shrimp that might otherwise be discarded due to their small size.
The Texas closure ranges from 45 to 90 days. The closing date is usually based on samples collected by the Coastal Fisheries Division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) using trawl, bag seine, and other information gathered. However, this the closure will be based primarily on the use of periods of maximum ebb tide, or outgoing tidal movements as an indication that the usual May 15 closure date is adequate.
Texas will re-open state waters to shrimp trawling based on sampling projections of when brown shrimp will reach a mean size of 112 mm, and when maximum duration ebb tides will occur. NOAA Fisheries will re-open federal waters off Texas when Texas re-opens its state waters. Historically, the re-opening has been on or about July 15. If there is a need to adjust the July 15 date for the re-opening, notification of the revised date will be published in the Federal Register and announced in a subsequent fishery bulletin.
Related Links and Information about shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico can be found on NOAA Fisheries Website:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/management-plan/gulf-mexico-shrimp-fishery-management-plan
