Mississippi Seafood
Mississippi Seafood includes shellfish such as wild shrimp, crawfish, lobsters, oysters, saltwater fish such as speckled trout, redfish, red snapper, grouper, Spanish, king and cero mackerel, dolphin fish (mahi mahi) and more. The state has the second largest fishing industry of the five Gulf states. Mississippi is also famous for its seafood cuisine.
Mississippi's commercial fishing ports are important sources of American seafood. Among these are Gulf Port and Pascagoula. The seafood and aquaculture industries are important parts of Mississippi's economy as is the state's recreational fishing sector.
Mississipi's Gulf coast, reefs and oyster beds sustained severe damage by the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina. Restoration efforts have been successful and the commercial fishing, aquaculture and recreational fishing sectors are productive and flourishing once again.
Shrimp
Three members of the Penaeidae shrimp family found in Mississippi coastal waters are important commercially. They are the brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus), the pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum), and the white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus).
Approximately 85 percent of Mississippi's harvest is brown shrimp. Juvenile of the species develop in estuaries. Upon maturity, the brown shrimp swim into the open Gulf where they spawn. Brown shrimp are most abundant from June to October, in inshore and offshore waters.
White shrimp are found in shallow waters. They are most often caught during daylight hours, with best catches occuring during the Fall.
Pink shrimp are usually caught at night, being most abundant in winter and early spring. Pink shrimp tend to be associated with in higher salinity waters than some other species of shrimp.
Factors such as water temperature, salinity, available food and habitat area affect the size of shrimp harvests.
Aquaculture
Mississippi leads the nation in aquaculture. Its aquaculture industry produces seafood and baitfish valued at $290 million annually. Mississippi aquaculture operations produce alligator, crawfish, freshwater prawns, hybrid striped bass, tilapia and catfish. Most American catfish farms are located in the Mississippi Delta. American catfish farming is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and it is one of the most quality-controlled products in the food industry.
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