Review of the Gulf of Mexico management plan for shrimp

Extended United States jurisdiction for fisheries management was initiated in 1976 with management planning delegated to regional groups or councils, one of which has a responsiblity in the US territorial waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A plan for managing shrimp in the Gulf, implemented in 1981, has as its principal objective the maximization of yield of shrimp recruited to the fishery. The technique used is to defer harvest through seasonal and area closure to allow prerecruits to reach a larger, preferred size. The effectiveness of federal regulation is largely dependent on coordination of management and enforcement in contiguous inshore waters. The benefits of federal management also enhanced by favorable environmental conditions which produce and extend greater numbers of prerecruits into the offshore sanctuary.