CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina officials say they are uncertain when the state’s commercial shrimp catching season will be open.
The Post and Courier reports state Department of Natural Resources biologists did a round of sample trawls off Charleston on Tuesday to check whether the spring shrimp had spawned and whether the summer crop had grown to good size.
Department Office of Fisheries Management Managing Director Mel Bell says that in one of the nets, only around 20 percent of the spring shrimp catch had spawned. The summer shrimp were still smaller than biologists would like to see before opening this year’s harvest.
Bell says the winter die-off was significant, but a delayed spring season usually means good catches in the fall.
Biologists will do another sample trawl off McClellanville on Wednesday.
___
Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.