Catch Info:

• Method:
  Trawls
• Gear:
  Beam Trawls

View details of SeafoodWatch Catch Methods

Description:

U.S. shrimp are flavorful and sweet, with slight variations in flavor dependent upon species and origin. Different species are difficult to distinguish from one another when sold headed or peeled. All cook up white with pink and red highlights.

Atlantic white and brown shrimp are found throughout the northwestern Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The largest harvests occur off the southeastern U.S. (south of the Carolinas) and in the Gulf of Mexico. These same species of shrimp are also caught in Mexican waters of the Gulf.

Shrimp harvested of the U.S. is one of the most sustainable options for shrimp. The populations are healthy and well managed by the state and federal governments. Habitat damage by trawl nets and bycatch are the biggest concerns for sustainability. Fortunately, white and brown do not live in hard bottom or coral areas, which are the areas most severely affected by trawling. These shrimp live in muddy and sandy zones, which are more resilient and are periodically disturbed by waves, currents and storms. Large tracts of coral and hard bottom area in the Gulf of Mexico are completely closed to bottom trawling. Bycatch of finfish and sea turtles has been greatly reduced by mandatory Turtle Excluder Devices and Bycatch Reduction Devices, though better data on finfish bycatch is needed to continually ensure that those populations are not overly affected by shrimp bycatch. Bycatch Reduction Devices in the Gulf of Mexico have not reduced finfish bycatch as much as predicted. Bycatch of juvenile red snapper remains a substantial problem hindering the recovery of this depleted population. Further reduction in red snapper bycatch is integral to the health of the red snapper population and the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem as a whole.

41 to 50 pieces per pound

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