History of the Shrimping Industry
Shrimp as a food source has been around for centuries. When you’re studying a subject that has a long history, it’s handy to have an archaeologist around. We’re in luck. Laura Landry, marine archaeologist and President of L. A. Landry & Associates, Inc., has studied the evolution of the shrimp industry and of shrimp boats, and has lent her considerable expertise to Gulfscapes as we explore the Gulf’s shrimping history. 
Until the late 1800’s, explains Ms. Landry, shrimping was a mostly local product, sold close to where it was caught, due to its perishable nature. But then, shrimp as an industry got a boost from improved canning technology which allowed shrimp to be shipped far away without spoiling. The next big boost to the industry’s growth was in the early 1900’s with the advent of the ice machine. Ice allowed boats to stay out longer and catch more shrimp per trip. It allowed the shrimp to stay fresh longer in fish markets. It also allowed that fresh caught taste to last longer so people liked it better. It was a game changer. And so was the next big technological leap, which occurred in the 1920’s . . . freezing. Freezing allowed Gulf Coast shrimp to be shipped all over the world. With the increase in its shelf life, demand for shrimp jumped. With more demand came the need for more harvest. That meant bigger boats and catching shrimp not just in the shallow bays, as had been the custom for years, but also offshore in the deeper waters of the Gulf.
Ms. Landry explains that initially, shrimping was only done in the shallow waters of coastal bays and bayous. This called for boats with shallow drafts. Draft, in simple terms, is how much water a boat needs to float. Shallow draft boats can navigate in shallower water than deep draft boats.
According to Ms. Landry, the early shrimping vessels were sailing boats with wide, flat bottoms that used either centerboards or hinged keels in order to navigate in shallower water. These boats were called luggers, named for the single lugsail it used for propulsion. The original luggers were replaced by modern luggers which have an engine (in place of the sail) and a wheelhouse in the rear of the boat, while the fish hold (where you store the caught shrimp) is located in the front. They range from 20 to 40 feet.
Around 1938, the offshore shrimp boat was introduced to the Gulf. It was the South Atlantic trawler, which until then was used along the deeper waters off the east coast. It was larger, 50-65 feet, had an inboard engine and kept ice in its hold. The wheelhouse was located in the front and the fish hold was in the rear. It had large booms to work its large nets. These trawlers could stay out for weeks, whereas the smaller boats usually didn’t stay out for more than a few days.
Modern offshore trawlers range from 40 to 90 feet, with engines making hundreds of horsepower. Construction varies and modern boats can be made from wood, fiberglass or steel. Most have the wheelhouse in the front, with the fish hold in the rear. Large booms with winches are used to raise and lower the nets.
The type of nets used to catch shrimp has changed over the years, too, says Ms. Landry. She explains that the early shrimpers used a smaller net with a frame to keep it open, called a butterfly net. These nets were lowered along the side of the boat and held in place while the boat slowly trawled. Butterfly nets are still used by small and recreational shrimpers.
Ms. Landry says that from the late 1800’s until 1930, the larger lugger boats used seine nets. The seine nets were long, skinny rectangle shaped nets that had one end attached to the lugger, while small skiffs towed the lead edge of the net away from the lugger and then completed a circle back to the lugger, thereby trapping the shrimp in the net.
Larger nets called otter trawls are used on offshore boats. These cone shaped nets have a pair of doors that keep the net open while it is pulled through the water behind the boat. Otter trawls have tickler chains that help weight the net down to the bottom and that also disturb the shrimp on the bottom, causing them to rise up and be caught in the net.
Modern offshore shrimp boats usually trawl with four nets, and carry an extra four nets as backups. Inshore, or bay shrimpers, trawl with two nets.
When shrimpers pull their nets up, there’s a lot more in there than shrimp. Ms. Landry says that some shrimpers will keep crabs and some fish that have value, but most of the “bycatch” in the nets is thrown back, but a large portion doesn’t survive. Over the years, the amount of bycatch in Gulf shrimp nets has declined, from around 10 pounds of bycatch per one pound of shrimp, to 4 pounds of bycatch for 1 pound of shrimp. Worldwide numbers are higher, with around 6 pounds of bycatch to shrimp, on average.
This bycatch has caused problems as endangered species like sea turtles have gotten caught in the nets and die before they can be released. This led to turtle exclusion devices (TEDs) being required equipment for Gulf shrimpers. The TEDs are a door-like structure placed in the net that help keep turtles from getting caught. Now, bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) are also required to help reduce all bycatch, a move prompted by the depletion of the red snapper population in the Gulf. Red snapper was a frequent bycatch.
These devices are helping turtles and red snapper, which were once threatened by the shrimp industry. The ability of the shrimping industry to absorb these changes for the betterment of other species is a source of pride and accomplishment. But it shouldn’t be surprising. Gulf shrimpers have always been a resilient bunch. With some luck and perseverance, the Gulf shrimp industry will be around another hundred years, and will need an archaeologist like Ms. Landry to explain its history.
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