In the movie Forrest Gump, Alabama native Bubba proclaims, “Shrimp is the fruit of the sea.” Indeed, the south has long been known for its shrimp harvests, but the Chesapeake Bay? Not so much.
In recent years, that’s been changing. Shrimp appear to be more abundant further north along the Atlantic coast. Virginia experimented with commercial shrimping for four years, saw success, and has had a commercial shrimp fishery for the last two years.
Maryland forged ahead with its own pilot program in 2023, beginning with just one waterman. The 2024 pilot program is open to applicants now. A permit allows a commercial fisherman to use a 16-foot beam trawl to fish Maryland state waters of the Atlantic Ocean (extending out to three nautical miles).
You can see the single permit holder, Sonny Gwin, in action on his first day fishing in 2023:
DNR tells Chesapeake Bay Magazine that he was able to fish a small number of days, but is focused on the long game. “He is not expecting to make a significant living at harvesting shrimp right now,” says Carrie Kennedy, director of Tidal and Coastal Monitoring and Assessment. “In his words, he’s most interested in seeing this become a fishery in 10 years or so.”
The new season will run Sept. 15, 2024 to Jan. 31, 2025. The state will issue a limited number of experimental permits, to be determined by selection criteria including whether the applicant is a Maryland resident, has any commercial fishing violations in recent years, submits reports on time, goes beyond required safety equipment, and holds licenses to fish for other species.
To address potential bycatch concerns, shrimp nets must be equipped with a National Marine Fisheries Service-approved Bycatch Reduction Device. Many bycatch species cannot be harvested while using Pilot Shrimp Program Permit (as specified on the permit). Interactions with any protected species, i.e. sturgeon, sea turtles or marine mammals) must be reported within 24 hours.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is working with the Tidal Fisheries Advisory Committee’s Shrimp Workgroup on the program. Because it is a pilot program, fishermen must notify DNR at least 48 hours before they plan to go shrimping and, at times, they must allow staff to come aboard and observe during fishing trips to collect data on shrimp and bycatch.
Required electronic reporting will allow DNR to access landing information and use it publicly, includes bycatch estimates. Maryland’s experimental fishery is modeled after Virginia’s successful years of a pilot shrimp program.
The shrimp species they target are white (Litopenaeus setiferus) and brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus). These penaeid shrimp are the kind you can find in shrimp cocktail or scampi. The Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) launched its program after fishermen off Virginia Beach began to notice larger quantities of shrimp entangled in their coastal gill nets in 2017.
A single Virginia experimental fishing permit was issued using a modified crab dredge that year, then two permits were issued in 2018 using a lightweight 16-foot beam trawl. The next few years saw more growth, and in 2020, 10 permit-holders caught over 400,000 pounds of shrimp harvest in both Virginia Beach and the coastal waters of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. VMRC began regulating and licensing the Virginia Beach Shrimp Trawl Harvest Area in 2021 and saw high demand for permits.They issued 12 licenses from a pool of 70 applicants. VMRC intends to issue more permits this year, between the Virginia Beach and Eastern Shore areas.
Virginia’s season is scheduled to open Oct. 1, 2024. A Commercial Shrimp Trawl License Application Form must be submitted to VMRC by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31. You can find the application here.
