by Hunter Dawkins, Owner/Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm
MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST (GG) — The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has set the opening date of the 2026-2027 shrimp season in state territorial waters for 6 a.m. Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
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, 2027. For 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, 2027. 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 information, call the Mississippi Shrimp Information Hotline at 866-938-7295 or the MDMR at 228-374-5000.
Beginning May 31, 2026, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources will accept applications for projects that may receive funding from the Tidelands Trust Fund. The Tidelands application portal closes July 1, 2026.
Proposals, which are restricted to projects within Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties, must meet one or more of the following criteria: conservation, reclamation, preservation, acquisition, education or the enhancement of public access to tidelands or public improvement projects as they relate to those lands.
All proposals must include the following:
1. Project name
2. Point of contact information
3. Project location
4. Project description
5. Justification (How does the project meet one or more of the criteria?)
6. Estimated cost and detailed budget
7. Goals and objectives of the project
8. Project timeline/schedule
Applications must be submitted online through the application portal at dmr.ms.gov/tidelands-application/. For more information, call 228-523-4138 or email sonja.slater@dmr.ms.gov.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the state by managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational, educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with environmental changes.
