State officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced that beginning May 1, all waters south of the Intracoastal Waterway and west of the Gulfport Ship Channel will be closed to shrimping.
The closure takes effect at 12:01 a.m.
“Waters located south of the Intracoastal Waterway and west of the Gulfport Ship Channel close each year at the end of April to provide a protected staging area for small shrimp that will be caught in the coming season,” MDMR executive director Joe Spraggins said. “Sub-adult brown shrimp move into this area in the spring as they begin their migration, and closure of the area to shrimping allows those shrimp to reach market size prior to harvest.”
Spraggins expressed the need for compliance with several state laws and regulations pertaining to his closure, which are MS Code 49-15-64.1 and MDMR Regulation Title 22 Part 2 Chapter 03, Rule 3.2.
Mississippi territorial waters south of the Intracoastal Waterway and east of the Gulfport Ship Channel will remain open to shrimping as provided by law and the regulations of MDMR.
All rules set forth in the regulations of the MDMR are to be in full force and effect, and all boats engaged in catching or transporting shrimp in or from the waters of Mississippi must be legally licensed.
For more information, call MDMR at 228-374-5000 or the Mississippi Shrimp Information Hotline at 866-938-7295.
