Shrimp Monitoring and Assessment in Alabama

Shrimp (Penaeus sp.) at 50 stations throughout Alabama's estuarine area are sampled utilizing 4.9-m otter trawls, a 15.2-m bag seine and 1.8-m beam plankton trawls to monitor abundance and growth. A monthly index is determined for postlarval and juvenile shrimp by species and used each year to estimate relative abundance. A model has been developed to predict the opening day of shrimping season as much as 6 weeks in advance using estimates of brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) growth. Daily mean numbers of shrimp per pound collected in samples are plotted against time for growth rate estimates.