The quantity of shrimp landed in the Gulf of Mexico last month has been the lowest reported for the month of August since 2010, according to statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
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NOAA informed that total shrimp landings - in the case of all species brown, pink, rock and white - reached 14.2 million pounds in August (headless weight), which is nearly 22 per cent below the prior fourteen-year historical average (18.2 million pounds), with a 5 million pound drop off from last year (19.8 million pounds).
In Texas a total of 6.4 million pounds of shrimp was landed, which has been the lowest volume since 2008 and in Louisiana the volume reached 4.7 million pounds, the lowest landing ever recorded since August 2011.
For the year, 56.1 million pounds of shrimp have been landed in the Gulf of Mexico, the lowest volume landed for the first eight months of the year since 2010 and 24 per cent below the prior fourteen-year historical average (73.6 million pounds).
For the most part, ex-vessel pricing data for the month of August was in line with ex-vessel prices reported in the same month last year.
Northern Gulf ex-vessel prices for U15 count shrimp increased significantly, while prices for the same size shrimp in the Western Gulf increased more modestly.
The ex-vessel prices for 26-30 count shrimp in the Northern Gulf were virtually the same as in August last year, $3.23/lb whereas ex-vessel prices for 41-50 count shrimp remained low, reaching $2.16/lb. But they were reported to be higher than in the same month last year, when they totalled $1.98/lb.
In the Western Gulf the growth for 26-30 count shrimp increased from $2.51 in the eighth month last year to $3.05 in the same month this year.
NOAA also reported that total US shrimp imports reached 116.3 million pounds in July, representing an increase from 105.2 million pounds in the same month last year. ■
A very active and complex mid-May weather pattern is set to produce numerous areas of severe weather, heavy rain, high winds, and anomalous temperatures through this weekend.