Sustainability has a lot of different meanings. But to the Gulf and South Atlantic shrimp industry, it is all about making sure you and future generations get to enjoy our delicious shrimp the same way those before us did. After all, our livelihoods depend on it, and our earth depends on it! Here are four (4) key facts you may not know. 

1. Wild Caught Shrimp Are An Annual Crop! Yes, who knew! Shrimp reproduce every year, so as long as the environment is sustained for them to grow, thrive and be happy, we can keep harvesting shrimp! The Gulf of Mexico has been producing about the same number of pounds per shrimp per year as it has for the last 50 years. The number of those shrimp that are harvested fluctuates, but there's a healthy ecosystem producing shrimp in these natural waters every year. If we don't catch them they would die off naturally anyway. Think about land crops. If we don't harvest corn, for example, it would die on the vine. (and unlike farm-raised shrimp, our shrimp have the whole Gulf and South Atlantic in which to swim, and farm raised shrimp just have a pond.)

2. They Are Quite Prolific! Gulf shrimp spawn two or three times a year when stimulated by temperature increases from late spring to early fall. A single shrimp releases about 500,000 to 1 million eggs. 

3. Shrimp Have Short Life Spans. Shrimp live approximately (1) to six (6) years. They go through several larval stages over just a couple of weeks before they become tiny versions of adult shrimp. They consistently molt their skin as they continue to grow and become grown adult shrimp (and thus be available for consumption) in about seven to eight months from the time they hatch. The longer they live, the bigger they get!

4. The U.S. Government Oversees to Ensure Sustainable Practices

The U.S. marine ecosystem is among the most highly regulated sustainable collection of fisheries in the world. It takes cooperation between fishermen, processors, state, regional and federal agencies to ensure good fishery management and implementation of sustainable practices. Here are just a few of the rules:

• Regulations are in place to prevent bottom trawling equipment from damaging the shrimp’s habitat.

• Boats must have proper size and type of trawl or net for the waters in which boat is fishing.

• Boats must have Turtle Excluder Devices installed in their nets to allow juvenile fish, turtles or other marine life to escape.

• Boats must have Bycatch Reduction Devices installed in their nets.

• Boats must have a Federal Shrimp Vessel Permit.

• Boats must have a license from its state of origin.

• Boats must only fish in the waters for which it is licensed.

• Boats must only fish during the season designated by the agency responsible for the waters in which it is fishing.

In order to continue to harvest our shrimp, our industry does its part every day protect the beautiful, underwater, natural environment in which they thrive. It's in our best interest to do so, and you, the consumers are the beneficiaries. So keep passing those family recipes for Gulf shrimp down, because we expect to be around for a long, long time!

To learn more about our restaurant-quality, wild-caught American Gulf shrimp, explore our shop or contact Biloxi Shrimp Co. today!