Tiger Shrimp Stalking the Gulf
Tiger Shrimp Stalking the Gulf
Asian tiger Shrimp, an invasive species, are being found in the Gulf of Mexico according to MDMR.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) is asking commercial and recreational shrimp fishermen to aid in the on-going monitoring process of the invasive species, Asian tiger shrimp.
There have been reports of small numbers of tiger shrimp caught in northern Gulf waters, including the Mississippi Sound. The tiger shrimp may have reached the northern Gulf of Mexico after having escaped aquaculture facilities in the Caribbean and being carried by ocean currents; this species is not currently being raised commercially in the United States.
Since 2006, the tiger shrimp has been found in the waters of Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and North and South Carolina. Asian tiger shrimp are typically larger than brown and white shrimp more commonly found in the Mississippi Sound and are native to southeast Asia, Australia and the Philippines. The species can be easily identified by a black and white “tiger” stripped pattern on the shell, they can grow to more than 10 inches long and weigh more than a half-pound with a life span between two and three years.
“Most of the reports we’ve received most recently have been from fishermen working in Louisiana and landing their catch in Mississippi,” said Mike Pursley, Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator and Field Project Manager for the MDMR.
Fishermen are asked to report any encounters with this invasive species because exotic shrimp such as the tiger shrimp may pose environmental threats such as spreading disease, aggression toward native shrimp and competition for food and habitat.
“We just don’t know enough about potential effects at this time,” Pursley said.
“That’s why we would encourage shrimpers and seafood processors, or anyone else, to call the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources if you encounter the Asian tiger shrimp.”
If you are a commercial or recreational shrimp fisherman and you catch an Asian tiger shrimp, please take a photo, freeze it, record the GPS coordinates and call (228) 374-5000 or send an email to report.invasive@dmr.ms.gov.
Visit the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources online at www.dmr.ms.gov.
Photo courtesy of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
2012 South Beach Wine & Food Festival
Guy Fieri will be at the 2012 South Beach Wine & Food Festival which kicks off Feb. 23, 2012 in Miami.
2012 South Beach Wine & Food Festival
It’s time to get ready for the culinary event of the year! The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival presented by FOOD & WINE kicks off on Feb. 23 and runs for four days along the beautiful shores of Miami Beach.
This is the 11th year for the SOBE Wine and Food Fest, which promises to be even better than last year’s 10th Anniversary extravaganza. Joining the festivities this year are Emeril Lagasse, Guy Fieri, Rachael Ray, Anthony Bourdain, Charlie Trotter, Andrew Zimmern, and Michael Schwartz.
The 2012 event kicks off with Moët Hennessy’s The Q presented by Allen Brothers, sponsored by Miami magazine, which brings together the best BBQ chefs from across the nation preparing their signature dishes on grills and in smokers. Emeril and Fieri are the hosts of The Q, which will certainly be a wild and crazy party. Gulf Coast area chefs that will be cooking are Dean Fearing of Fearings in Dallas, Christopher Hastings of the Hot and Hot Fish Club in Birmingham, AL, Chris Lilly from Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, AL, Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbeque in Taylor, TX, and Stephen Stryjewski from Cochon in New Orleans.
Ms. Ray again will oversee the Amstel Light Burger Bash presented by Allen Brothers, which will showcase dozens of burger creations from the country’s most talented chefs.
Also, the 2012 Tribute Dinner presented by Bank of America keeps its long-standing tradition of honoring the world’s greatest wine and culinary talent by paying tribute to esteemed chef Charlie Trotter and celebrated winemaker Piero Antinori.
Tickets are going fast, so grab yours soon. You won’t want to miss this spectacular culinary affair.
South Beach Wine & Food Festival
February 23 – 26, 2012
Miami Beach, FL
2012.sobefest.com
Categories: Activities, Beer, Chefs, Crabs, Crawfish, Farmers Market, Featured story, Festivals Featuring Food and Wine, Fish, FL, Florida, Food & Wine, Miami, Oysters, Recipes, Restaurants, Seafood, Shrimp, Things to Do, Travel, Wine Tags: chefs, food, food and wine, miami, SOBE, wine, wine and food
Gulf Coast Halloween Events, Festivals and Fun
Cute pet costumes …
Punny Costume Ideas | Murder Mystery Party Site 1 & Site 2 | Halloween Decorations
Events from around the Gulf Coast …
Halloween Brings Haunted Happenings to the Florida Keys Events - Costuming, characters and competitions will bring ghostly revelry to the Florida Keys this Halloween. The island chain is to host an array of lively hauntings sure to spook visitors above and below the water’s surface.
Alabama Events Ghost Trails, Storytelling and Haunted Sites – 13 Events to Celebrate Alabama’s Haunted History. Visitors can experience Alabama’s haunted history in October with ghost trails, story-telling festivals and ghost walks. A variety of events and trails pay homage to the state’s ghostly history including a rare moonlit tour of the famous ghost town Old Cahawba. The Black Belt Ghost Trail showcases dozens of haunted sites that include homes, restaurants, cemeteries and Civil War sites. The 33rd Alabama Tale Tellin’Festival in Selma honors renowned storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham.
Galveston Isle Events Offers Spooktacular Fun This October. Galveston is one of the most haunted cities in America, according to numerous websites, books and ghost hunters that track reports of ghostly occurrences. In fact, from its storied harbor to its stately Victorian mansions, historic Galveston is filled with legendary figures and ghostly stories.
In Corpus Christi, TX 6th Annual Heritage Park Ghost Tours – The City of Corpus Christi Parks & Recreation Department and CCspookcentral will hold the 6th Annual Heritage Park Ghost Tours on Oct 14 & 28 2011. With a special Tour on Oct 29 at 8pm and 10pm. Tours will be offered on all dates: 8pm and 10pm. For more info contact CCSC at 361-288-9097 or visit website
More Gulf Coast Halloween events below recipes!
Here are some great Halloween Party recipes …
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Mississippi Halloween Dance Party – October 29
Enjoy an evening of “Howlin” FUN, FOOD, & DANCING! Dress like your favorite ghost or goblin, bring a covered dish, and dance the “Monster Mash” in a dazzling ballroom featuring sparkling crystal chandeliers, a fabulous fireplace, a wonderful winding staircase, and beautiful hardwood floors – reminiscent of early ballrooms! Don’t miss out – you meet the nicest people on the dance floor! At Amour Danzar, 9355 County Farm Road, Gulfport, Contact Barbara Watts 228-324-3730, Admission: $20 Per Person
Naples and Fort Myers Area events can be found here
In Orange Beach and Gulf Shores …
October 15ish through Oct. 31- Lulu’s at Homeport Marina, ”Boolu’s” Haunted House, This is an amazingly creative haunted house for all ages built by kids!!! While the older children and adults wander through a spooky maze, the younger children can play age appropriate Halloween games. BooLu’s is made possible thanks to the volunteer work of local middle and high school students, and all proceeds go directly to the Art Departments of several local schools through LuLu’s Love Fund. Adults attending this event are kindly asked to make a $5.00 donation.
Thursday, Oct. 27, 5:30 to 8:30pm – Downtown Foley, Uptown Halloween is held in the streets of downtown Foley from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. It features free games and treats from local businesses, costume contests, cake walk, on site concessions and much more. Admission is free. Call Linda Hula at 251-943-1300
Thursday, Oct. 27 through Saturday, Oct. 29 – Gator Alley Farm, Haunted Alligator Park, Experience Alligator Alley at night from 7-9pm with a special feeding time at 8pm. Yikes! Price: Adults $10, Children $8
Saturday, Oct. 29 – 6:00 pm, City of Gulf Shores – Bodenhamer Recreation Center, Halloween Family Fun Night, Halloween activities include a costume contest, carnival games, a cake walk, free popcorn and much more fun for the whole family.
Saturday, October 29, 2011 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM – Bellingrath Gardens and Home, Balloon Glow in the Gardens, Dress up your little goblins and come out to enjoy beautiful hot air balloons glowing on the Great Lawn. Multiple hot air balloons are scheduled to “glow” for us this year….weather permitting. This year’s event will also include a selection of scary and fun inflatables glowing throughout the Gardens. There will be plenty of treats and trinkets from area organizations and businesses for our trick or treaters to enjoy. The Shed BBQ and Blues Joint will be in the Gardens selling their one-of-a-kind and national award winning barbeque and live music provided by Mudbuck will be on the Great Lawn. The Balloon Glow is free for members and special reduced rates will begin at 5:00 p.m. SPECIAL RATES: Adults $5; children 5 -12 $3 and as always children 4 and under are free.
Saturday, Oct 29, from 5pm-8pm - Hosted by Christian Life Church @ The Wharf, Halloween Festival, Activities will include entertainment, inflatables, carnival games, Fire Engine rides and Trunk or Treat with tons of candy.
Monday, Oct. 31, 6-7:30pm – Tanger Outlets, TRICK OR TREAT TANGERSTYLE, Participate in a “spooktacular” event at Tanger Outlet Center on October 31st from 6-7:30 PM. Before you begin Trick or Treating, visit the playground and participate in a costume parade. The parade of costumes begins at 6 PM followed by Trick or Treating at participating stores. This is a popular location because you can cover a lot of ground (lots of goodies) in a small, compact area.
In Mobile find a local listing of Halloween Events here
In Florida things are going to getting scary …
Walk through the Petrified Forest in Altamonte Springs – From September 29 through October 31, in Altamonte Springs you need to bring your family and friends by the Petrified Forest for a Halloween of a good time. There are multiple different themed sets and tunnels, all together coming to a walk-through time of about twenty minutes. Plan to spend an hour and a half because not only is there a trail, but there is also entertainment, games, and food. If you are looking for a night out for your family, this is the place for you!
A Petrified Forest Offers Various Packages:
Trail and Backstage Bundle- $20 Includes the Path and VIP Backstage Tour
The Path- $15 Horrific walk through trails, themed rooms with spooky characters and surprises around every turn!
VIP Backstage Tour- $10 Experience the Petrified Forest from the other side with this exciting VIP tour!
Laser Tag- $5 New in 2011! For more info or to make reservations visit their website
Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens – October 01 , 2011 to October 29, 2011, September 23 – October 29, 2011at Busch Gardens Tampa, FL, 3000 East Busch Blvd, Tampa, Florida 33612 – The screams will be everywhere, not just on the roller coasters. Celebrating its 12th year, Howl-O-Scream promises to chill your bones with a House of Vayne theme that includes blood sucking vampires, seven terrifying haunted houses, each with its own creepy theme and scream-inducing scare zones that will have you jumping out of your skin.
Ghost Train Adventures – Ripley’s Believe It or Not! presents Ghost Train Adventures 2011. This haunting adventure takes you to three of the most haunted locations in the Nation’s Oldest City, St. Augustine! October 01 , 2011 to October 31, 2011, Nightly at 8:00 pm at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, 19 San Marco Avenue, St Augustine, FL 32084 – Take in creepy cemeteries, spooky whispers and paranormal sightings that will mess with your mind! Don’t forget your digital camera and any recording devices you desire to capture all the evidence of a truly haunting experience.
Schedule of Stops for The Ghost Train Adventures
Stop #!: St Francis Street: Bizarre events have been taking place on St Francis Street for centuries! Here you will experience the Oldest House in America on the Oldest Street, The St Francis Inn, and the haunting history of the St Augustine Lighthouse.
Stop #2: The French Huguenot: After slinking quietly by the creepy Tolomato Cemetery, the train will encounter the former public burying grounds of 1821; now known as the Huguenot Cemetery. Interactive spirits are often sighted here, and whispers of hope and yearning are heard floating among the soft evening breezes.
Stop #3: The Castle Warden: The Castle Warden, where your travels begin and end. A former castle from the 1800’s, this magnificient structure hods many secrets of it’s own. The Train runs nightly, 7 days a week, at 8:00 pm. Arrive to the Museum Parlor fifteen minutes prior to departure. If it sells out, an additional train may be scheduled.
Fright Nights at Silver Springs – The 4th Annual Fright Nights Event will take place at Silver Springs, Nature Park, just East of Ocala, Florida. Creature Features, Haunted Mansion, Psycho Panther Prowl, Terror Island and “Gator Man” River Cruise at Ft King Waterway are just a few of the frightly features. More details are added. Ghouls and goblins will experience spooky specticals from 8:00 to 11:00 pm each Friday and Saturday evening October 07 , 2011 to October 29, 2011, Silver Springs Nature Park, 5656 E Silver Springs Blvd, Silver Springs, FL 34488, Silver Springs Nature Park is located just East of Ocala on SR 40. Take exit 352 East off I-75 or exit 268 West off I-95.
Here are some tips that can help adults keep their kids safe. Source: http://www.halloweensafety.com
Categories: Alabama, Florida, Food & Wine, Gulf Coast States, Halloween, Holidays, Louisiana, Mississippi, Recipes, Shrimp, Texas, Things to Do Tags: al, fl, Gulf Coast States, halloween, haunted, la, ms, pumpkin, recipes, spooky, tx
Hello! Meet Our Gulf Coast Shrimp
Dr. Jim Nance, Chief of the NOAA Galveston Laboratory's Fishery Management Branch.
There are three main species of commercially captured Gulf shrimp – brown shrimp, white shrimp and pink shrimp. (Yes, you Royal Reds fans, we know there’s a fourth kind, but we’re limiting this to the biggest catches – brown, white and pink shrimp compose over 99% of the annual shrimp catch. And we like the Reds and don’t really want to let these little-known morsels get more popular for fear we’ll have trouble finding them on our next visit to Pensacola.)
Brown shrimp and white shrimp are the most caught, with around 80 million pounds of tails harvested each year. The pink shrimp harvest comes in at 5-10 million pounds of tails. Dr. Nance says all three species grow to roughly the same size, and are found in all 5 Gulf Coast states. All species are caught mainly in offshore waters, but there is some bay and shallow water shrimping still taking place. Although bay shrimping has decreased in Texas, Louisiana still has a large inshore shrimp fishery.
Brown shrimp are the most abundant. They are caught mainly from Alabama to southern Texas, and mainly offshore up to 60 fathoms. (I love the word fathoms. A fathom is six feet, but really, who wouldn’t prefer to say fathoms rather than feet? It’s so nautical!) During daylight hours, Brown shrimp bury themselves in the mud on the seafloor. They come out at night; hence, shrimpers drag for Brown shrimp after dark.
Adult Brown shrimp spawn in the winter, offshore. Their larva migrate to shallow inshore waters February through April, where they congregate around grasses and other vegetation for both food and shelter. In May and June, once they’ve grown a little bigger, they venture back out into the deeper waters of the Gulf to mature. Browns are a summer shrimp, with their peak season being mid-July through the fall.
White shrimp are the next most abundant. They are harvested mostly from Alabama to the upper Texas coast. They are found closer to shore than Brown shrimp and in shallower water, up to 20 fathoms (!). Unlike Brown shrimp, Whites are found and fished in daylight. They spawn later than Browns and have a later season, making them mainly a Fall shrimp that mature August through October. The larva migrate to estuaries in June and July.
Pink shrimp are caught mainly off Southwest Florida, mostly around the Dry Tortugas. They seem to spawn year round in the Gulf. Their main season is October through December.
Dr. Nance and staff do a “stock assessment” for the Texas and Louisiana Brown shrimp industry every year, which is their prediction of the size of the shrimp crop for the coming summer. They monitor the maturing larval shrimp in Galveston Bay and use an environmental model that considers water temperature, salinity and other factors that affect the shrimp’s growth. Their predictions are published every June and are accurate to within 5-10%, giving shrimpers a good idea of what kind of season they can expect.
We saved the most important question for last: Which species is the best eatin’? Drum roll please . . . and the answer is . . . it depends. Hmm. Dr. Nance says it depends on your taste. Brown and Pink shrimp have a strong, wilder taste, while Whites are milder. Oh well, guess you’ll just have to sample a bunch yourself to find your favorite.
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