Commercial shrimp trawling season officially kicks off on the coast

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Coastal waterways are officially open as of 8 a.m. Monday for 2025′s commercial shrimping season.

Shrimp trawling season — the time of year for the commercial fishing practice of throwing a trawl, or a large net, into the water and dragging it behind a boat — is set by state officials at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources each year.

That date is determined by the shrimp themselves, with biologists sampling and studying white shrimp throughout late spring to determine if the majority of female shrimp have already spawned at least once.

Failure to do this would thin the population of shrimp and cripple the fall population significantly, reducing the crop.

South Carolina typically sees three major peak periods for shrimp harvesting, with late spring into early summer marking the start of an influx in larger shrimp that are worth more.

Then, during the summer months, brown shrimp take over, which are similar in size and taste to white shrimp.

During the fall, the offspring of the white shrimp from the spring come back into play, which makes setting the correct date for shrimp trawling season paramount to its success; A too-early date in the spring could shrink the size of that fall crop.

The number of white shrimp in a given year is sensitive to most conditions, as the species lives a relatively short life. Cold water temperatures, too much or not enough rain in the summer can all lead to a poor seasonal outcome.

“Although we did have a cold snap in late January, white shrimp numbers across South Carolina’s estuaries have generally been near the long-term average this winter and spring,” South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Biologist Jeff Brunson said.

Luckily, white shrimp are considered to be “prolific spawners,” so their populations can rebound with ease.

For information on saltwater fishing laws in South Carolina, click here.

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