Shreveport, LA – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced that the 2024 fall inshore shrimp season will close in all remaining inside waters from the Mississippi/Louisiana state line westward to the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River at official sunset on January 24, 2025.
**Exceptions to this closure include:**
– The open waters of Breton and Chandeleur Sounds, as bounded by the double-rig line described in R.S. 56:495.1(A)2.
This decision follows recent biological sampling that showed the average white shrimp size in these areas is smaller than the minimum possession count allowed by law. The closure aims to protect these smaller shrimp, enabling them to grow to larger, more commercially valuable sizes.
Under R.S. 56:498, the possession count for saltwater white shrimp must not exceed an average of 100 whole specimens per pound for each cargo lot, except from October 15 through the third Monday in December.
The department will continue monitoring shrimp populations in remaining open areas and implement additional closures as needed. Any changes to the season will be announced publicly with at least 72 hours’ notice.