Picture of a Shrimp Boat at the dock
A shrimp boat at the dock.

1 Summary

This report summarizes information for the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan of the South Atlantic Region. Each FMP is required to have a stock assessment and fishery evaluation (SAFE) report. This is the first update of the Shrimp SAFE report since 1999.

The Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation (SAFE) Report provides background material for the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the South Atlantic Region. The fishery management plan was approved in 1995. The FMP includes brown shrimp (Farfantepeneaus aztecus), pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus duorarum), rock shrimp (Sicyonia brevirostris), and white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus).

This report contains information on the biology of species in the FMP, recent harvest regulations, provides information on stock status (using proxies established in the FMP), landings data, and recent trends in the fishery. Table ?? summarizes information presented later in the report to give an overview of the report findings. This table classifies nine different metrics as good, fair increasing, fair decreasing, and bad based on criteria explained in Table ??. The metrics include stock status relative to overfishing and overfished; comparison of catch to the optimum yield for the fishery; and trend in landings, index of abundance, fishing effort, and price; and summary of the fishery performance report. Although there is no stock assessment for the shrimp species, proxies for stock status are included in the fishery management plan based on landings or fishery independent surveys (data collected on scientific trips).

An overall score is developed for each based on the metrics above. Each metric is given a score from 4 for Good down to 1 for Bad and the score is summed across metrics that are rated (ACL is not rated for any species due to their short life span). The summed scored is then compared to categorical scoring for each rating category (Good, Fair Increasing, Fair Decreasing, Bad). The categories are developed by dividing the difference between maximum and minimum potential scores into four equal sized categories. Based on comparison to the categorical score, the fishery for each species is rated.

Brown and pink shrimp fisheries scored as Bad, white shrimp fishery scored as Fair Increasing, and rock shrimp fishery scored as Good based on data through 2022. The three Penaeid shrimp (brown, pink, and white shrimp) appeared to have a healthy stock based on the fishery independent index of abundance. There was no fishery independent index for rock shrimp but the index based on the commercial fishery indicated the species had a healthy stock. No stocks were scored as overfished or overfishing. Only the pink shrimp fishery scored as Bad for not reaching the optimum yield. Effort was below the long-term average and has been decreasing in the recent time period for the Peneaid Shrimp. The inflation adjusted price per pound for white and brown shrimp were below the long-term average and decreasing in recent years. Pink and rock shrimp inflation adjusted price per pound has been increasing but remains below the long-term average.

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2 Introduction

This report summarizes information for species in the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan (FMP) of the South Atlantic Region. Each FMP is required to have a stock assessment and fishery evaluation (SAFE) report. SAFE reports include information useful in documenting trends or changes in the resource, ecosystem, and fishery; and assessing the success of relevant state and federal FMPs, all of which can help in developing future management changes if they are needed. Information included in the report describes stock status, catch level recommendations, projections (when available), landings and releases by sector (where available), social and economic trends by sector, and essential fish habitat. The information included will describe the fishery since the Shrimp FMP has been enacted (November 1993) and go through 2022. The focus of the draft report is on white shrimp and rock shrimp to be used in the development of a fishery performance report and modify the SAFE report based on input from the Shrimp (penaeid) and Deepwater Shrimp Advisory Panels (AP). Fishery performance reports (FPR) are important tools to gather perspectives from stakeholders. A FPR for white and rock shrimp was performed at the April 2024 Joint Shrimp and Deepwater Shrimp AP meeting. White and rock shrimp were selected for the FPR because of the potential changes in distribution of white shrimp along the coast and the variability in the rock shrimp catches in recent years.

Data for this report are pulled from multiple sources including:

A list of acronyms can be found on the SAFMC acronym webpage. NOAA Fisheries has a glossary of terms used commonly in fisheries management.