South Carolina commercial shrimp season opening day set for beginning of June

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Commercial shrimp season is set to open at the beginning of June in South Carolina, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

Shrimp trawling season will open in all legal state waters at 8 a.m. beginning on June 2. Shrimp are South Carolina’s most valuable saltwater fishery.

“Although we did have a cold snap in late January, white shrimp numbers across South Carolina’s estuaries have generally been near the long-term average this winter and spring,” Jeff Brunson, biologist with SCDNR said.

In an average year, shrimp season opens fully by late spring, typically after the opening of eight smaller provisional areas in the state’s outer waters. Those areas opened on April 24, allowing shrimpers to begin harvesting some larger white shrimp from farther offshore, while still protecting most of the spawning population closer to shore.

The opening date is set each year by SCDNR based on the conditions of the shrimp themselves. One of the things they look for is evidence that a majority of female white shrimp have already spawned at least once.

Opening the season too soon and allowing trawlers to catch too many females that have not had the opportunity to spawn could reduce the size of the fall white shrimp crop, which are the offspring of the spring white shrimp.

South Carolina’s commercial shrimp calendar typically has three peak periods. In the spring is when there is an influx of roe white shrimp, which are early-season shrimp that get higher prices.

Summer months usually garner a peak in brown shrimp, which are similar in size and taste to white shrimp. In the fall and into the winter, a second crop of white shrimp is brought in.

For more information about South Carolina shrimping season, click here.