Mississippi’s shrimp season is less than a week away.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has set the opening date of the 2026-27 shrimp season in state territorial waters for 6 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26. All state regulations will be in effect, and all boats engaged in catching or transporting shrimp from Mississippi waters must be licensed or have proper permits before beginning operations.
Recreational and commercial shrimp season north of the Intracoastal Waterway will close at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2027. For areas south of the Intracoastal Waterway and west of the Gulfport Ship Channel, shrimp season will close at 12:01 a.m. on May 1, 2027.
Staff will continue to sample coastal waters prior to the opening date. The shrimp season opening date may be postponed if sampling indicates movement of large numbers of juvenile brown shrimp into this area, per officials. Additionally, Marine Patrol officers will be available to perform dockside courtesy inspections of Turtle Excluder Devices upon request of shrimpers.
Turtle Excluder Devices are specialized grids with escape openings installed in trawl nets. They allow endangered sea turtles to escape safely while shrimp remain captured inside.
While the shrimp season is right around the corner, officials remind the public that licensed live-bait shrimping is open year-round in designated areas.
