The Georgia Department of National Resources (DNR) is continuing the shrimp harvest into the New Year.
It was announced by Mark Williams, the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources located in Atlanta, that the state was extending the harvest season. According to the announcement, people using a beach seine as well as commercial and recreational cast netters could continue harvesting until January 15 at 6:15 pm. The extension applies to those waters currently open to power-drawn trawls.
Among the DNR’s duties is to protect the future of Georgia’s resources while ensuring the maximum benefits can be derived from them. State agencies in Atlanta like the DNR often use brochure printers to inform the public and those who are dependent on Georgia’s resources for a living.
The original deadline of December 31, 2014 was extended due to weather conditions and the abundance of shrimp available in the coastal waters. Extending the season is fairly common for the DNR but not something that shrimp boat operators can depend on. Factors that would prevent an extension include lower than normal levels of shrimp available for harvest or unusually cold weather.
According to the department’s statistics the number of trawlers working in 2014 was nearly the same as those in recent years, although the license sales were down. The value of ex-vessel Georgia shrimp continued its increase with this year’s average of $5.66 a pound almost a dollar more than the previous year.
