Gazebo Gazette
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has set the opening date of the 2022-2023 shrimp season in state territorial waters for 6 a.m. Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
All regulations of the MDMR will be in full force and effect, and all boats engaged in catching or transporting shrimp from Mississippi waters must be licensed or permitted by the MDMR before beginning operations.
Recreational and commercial shrimp season north of the Intracoastal Waterway will close at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2023. Areas south of the Intracoastal Waterway and west of the Gulfport Ship Channel, shrimp season will close at 12:01 a.m. on May 1, 2023. Licensed live-bait shrimping is open year-round in designated areas.
Staff will continue to sample prior to the opening date. The shrimp season opening date may be postponed if sampling indicates movement of large numbers of juvenile brown shrimp into this area.
Additionally, Marine Patrol officers will be available to perform dockside courtesy inspections of Turtle Excluder Devices upon request of shrimpers. Shrimpers requesting courtesy inspections should contact Marine Patrol at 228-523-4134.
For specific information, call the Mississippi Shrimp Information Hotline at 866-938-7295 or the MDMR at 228-374-5000.
Additionally, Mississippi’s Red Snapper season will open for private recreational anglers and state for-hire vessels at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, May 27, 2022, with an anticipated mid-season closure date of Monday, July 4, 2022, at 11:59 p.m.
As with previous years, a mid-season closure will allow for Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) staff to compile landings information and examine the potential for a season extension.
MDMR staff would like to remind anglers to download the 2022 version (Android v8.92 and iOS v8.91) of the Tails n’ Scales app. Prior versions of the app will not be functional for 2022 due to system improvements.
Anglers may register their account through the TnS app available in the Apple App Store, Google Play Store or online at tailsnscales.org.
One angler per vessel, per trip is required to report through the MDMR Tails n’ Scales system. As a reminder, Marine Patrol officers encountering anglers fishing for or possessing Red Snapper without a trip authorization number will result in fish confiscation and fines.
The season will be open seven days a week in both state and federal waters. The season will close if the annual catch limit (ACL) for recreational fishermen is projected to be reached at any point after the season opens. It will also close if the Gulf-wide quota is reached.
Private recreational anglers can fish out to 200 nautical miles. Vessels with state for-hire permits can fish in state territorial waters, which is nine nautical miles south of the barrier islands.
Tails n’ Scales administrators can be contacted for assistance by email at snapper@dmr.ms.gov or by phone at (228) 325-1585.
