Shrimp season starting off strong in Louisiana

WESTWEGO, La. (WGNO) — Inshore shrimping season is underway in Louisiana, it opened this week.

WGNO’s Kenny Lopez headed over to Westwego Shrimp Lot to find out what’s in store this shrimp season.

Over at Capt. Jonathan’s at the Westwego Shrimp Lot they own their own boats, and they catch all their own fresh shrimp.

“These shrimp were caught last night out of Lafitte. The local shrimping season just opened on Monday,” Kim Palmisano, Owner of Capt. Jonathan’s Seafood said.

Fresh off the boat, this shrimping season is already off to a strong start.

“So far the shrimp is nice. They are coming in nice. The local shrimp out of Lafitte are a nicer size this year, and bigger this year than last year. Looks like they are more plentiful too. Some boats did very well,” Palmisano said.

Palmisano said that she’s noticed that the shrimp are definitely bigger in size this year.

“These shrimp would be excellent just to put in your freezer for cooking gumbo, your pasta and your holidays,” Palmisano said.

Palmisano said you want to get the shrimp earlier in the season because once you get to October and November, the shrimp will be smaller.

“Now’s a good time. This month, next month, this is the time to get shrimp for your freezer. Prices are a tad bit higher this year than last year, which is helpful to commercial fishermen,” Palmisano said.

Loyal customers of Capt. Johnathan’s like Hank Wilson understand that the bigger the shrimp, the higher the cost, but he doesn’t mind because it’s quality Louisiana seafood.

“I do like supporting local industries, and I’m very partial to supporting Louisiana shrimp in general and I have a very strong bias towards fresh seafood,” Wilson said.

Capt. Jonathan’s has been a staple at the Westwego Shrimp Lot for 30 years.

Shrimpers also mentioned that the last few years have been a struggle for fishermen with the rising costs of fuel.

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