Recreational Fishing: Shrimp Regulations
- Shrimp may be taken for personal use (bait or food). Shrimp taken for personal use may not be sold.
- A person taking or attempting to take shrimp from salt water for non-commercial purposes is required to have a valid fishing license and a saltwater fishing stamp endorsement.
Legal Sport Shrimping Devices
- Cast Net (see restrictions)
- Seine (see restrictions)
- Individual Bait-shrimp Trawl (see following)
Individual Bait-shrimp Trawl:
- Only 1 trawl per boat is allowed.
- Must have an individual bait-shrimp trawl tag in one's possession while trawling.
- Must not be greater than 20 feet in width between the doors.
- Mesh size must not be smaller than 8-3/4 inches over a consecutive series of 5 stretched meshes.
- Boards must not be larger than 450 square inches each.
Coastal Waters
Salt waters of the state are divided into the following groups:
- Outside Water: That part of the Gulf of Mexico extending from the shoreline seaward to nine nautical miles. Shrimp may not be taken from outside waters during closed seasons (see ___ )
- Inside Water: All bays, passes, rivers, or other bodies of water landward from the shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico. In these waters, the tide rises and falls and saltwater shrimp are found or migrate. Shrimping is not permitted within any natural or man-made pass leading from the inside waters to the outside waters of the state.
- Major Bays:
- Sabine Lake north of Cameron Causeway to south of a line marked by the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (Sabine Neches Canal/Sabine River) between the eastern most tip of Goat Island to the western most tip of Stewts Island
- Trinity Bay southward from a line extending from the mouth of Double Bayou in Chambers County to Double Bayou Channel Marker 14, to Separator C-2, to Point Barrow in Chambers County
- Galveston Bay
- East Bay westward from a line extending from Frozen Point to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Marker 12
- Matagorda Bay westward of a line extending from a location on the mainland (where a line running immediately northwest [bearing 330 degrees] from Shellfish Marker A intersects the mainland) thence southeasterly to Shellfish Marker A located near the mainland, thence to Shellfish Marker B located near the end of Shell Island Reef, thence to the tide gauge located near the Matagorda Peninsula, and thence southeasterly [bearing 153 degrees] to the Matagorda Peninsula.
- East Matagorda Bay
- Tres Palacios Bay south from a line from Grassey Point to the mouth of Pilkington Bayou
- Espiritu Santo Bay
- Lavaca Bay southward of State Highway 35
- San Antonio Bay southward of a line from McDowell Point to Mosquito point
- Aransas Bay
- Corpus Christi Bay exclusive of the area bounded by the line extending from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at the southwest point of the Dagger Island chain, along Dagger Island to the southeast tip of Ransom Island, then southeast to the westernmost point of land north of Marker 14 in the Corpus Christi Ship Channel
- All exclusive of tributary bays, bayous, and inlets, lakes and rivers
- Bait Bays (includes major bays and those listed here):
- Chocolate Bay
- West Bay south and west of Interstate Highway 45 Causeway bridge and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway inclusive of the area south of a line extending westward from Interstate Highwy 45 Causeway Bridge at Virginia Point, along the southern edge of Tiki Island to the northeastern tip of North Deer Island at Channel Marker 48
- Trinity Bay northward from a line extending from the mouth of Double Bayou in Chambers County to Double Bayou Channel Marker 14, to Separator C-2, to Point Barrow in Chambers County
- The Old Brazos River lying north of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Brazoria County
- Upper Laguna Madre
- Baffin Bay
- Alazan Bay
- Barroom Bay
- Lower Laguna Madre, including the Brownsville Ship Channel
- The entire Gulf Intracoastal Waterway exclusive of all tributaries
- Nursery Areas: (No Shrimping Allowed) Those coastal waters not specifically named above as Major Bays or Bait Bays are considered Nursery Areas. Includes tributary bays, bayous, inlets, lakes, and rivers that serve as significant growth and development environments for postlarval and juvenile shrimp. Does not include outside waters, major bays, or bait bays.
Seasons and Limits
| Bait Shrimping (Major Bays and Bait Bays) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Season | Hours | Limits |
| Aug. 15-March 31 | 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset |
|
| April 1-Aug. 14 | 30 minutes before sunrise to 2:00 p.m. | |
| Shrimping for purposes other than Bait (Major Bays only) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Season | Hours | Limits |
| Spring Open Season May 15 - July 15 |
30 minutes before sunrise to 2:00 p.m. |
|
| Fall Open Season Aug 15 - Oct 31 |
30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset |
|
| Fall Open Season Nov 1 - Nov 30 |
30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset |
|
| Shrimping in Outside Waters -- Southern Zone (South of a line from the Corpus Christi Fish Pass [Latitude 27° 40'34"] to the Mexican Border) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Season | Hours | Limits |
| Beyond 5 nautical miles | Dec 1-May 15** July 16**-Nov. 30 |
Day and Night |
|
| Inside 5 nautical miles | July 16**-Nov. 30 | 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset |
|
| Closed to Night Shrimping | 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise | Closed to Night Shrimping | |
| Winter Season Closed Dec. 1-May 15** |
Day and Night | CLOSED SEASON | |
| Inside 9* nautical miles | Summer Closed Season May 15**-July 15** |
Day and Night | CLOSED SEASON |
| *SPECIAL NOTICE: The federal government may close the Exclusive Economic Zone off Texas (9-200 nautical miles) at the same time Texas waters are closed. For further information call the National Marine Fisheries Service at (727) 570-5305. **SPECIAL NOTICE: These dates may be changed by the department providing 72 hours public notice on new closing dates and 24 hours public notice on new opening dates. |
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| Shrimping in Outside Waters -- Northern Zone (North of a line from the Corpus Christi Fish Pass [Latitude 27° 40' 34"] to the Louisiana Border) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Season | Hours | Limits |
| Beyond 5 nautical miles | Dec. 1-May 15** July 16**-Nov. 30 |
Day and Night |
|
| Inside 5 nautical miles | Feb. 16-May 15** July 16**-Nov. 30 |
30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset |
|
| Closed to Night Shrimping | 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise | Closed to Night Shrimping | |
| Winter Season Closed Dec. 1-Feb. 15 |
Day and Night | CLOSED SEASON | |
| Outside 9* nautical miles | Summer Closed Season May 15**-July 15** |
Day and Night | CLOSED SEASON |
| *SPECIAL NOTICE: The federal government may close the Exclusive Economic Zone off Texas (9-200 nautical miles) at the same time Texas waters are closed. For further information call the National Marine Fisheries Service at (727) 824-5305. **SPECIAL NOTICE: These dates may be changed by the department providing 72 hours public notice on new closing dates and 24 hours public notice on new opening dates. |
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Special County Restrictions
NuecesIt is unlawful for any person to take or attempt to take shrimp with a trawl in the Laguna Madre north of a line starting on the mainland at the most northeasterly point on the north side of the entrance to Whiteley Channel then proceeding in a straight line to the north end of Pita Island; then continuing on a line to the southern most point on the westerly most spoil island bordering the north side of the New Humble Channel (commonly referred to as Hap's Channel); then continuing on a line along the north edge of the New Humble Channel (commonly referred to as Hap's Channel) to its junction with the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway; then continuing on a straight line to the Nueces/Kleberg County line marker on Padre Island.