Page 111 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2022

Birds gather as a shrimp boat stops to sort through the catch in the Gulf of Mexico.
“All of those people contribute directly to the economy because everyone needs to buy things,” Spraggins says. “Fishing might bring people to the coast, but while they are here, they can do many other things to entertain themselves. The Mississippi Coast is a tourist destination so people want to come down here and spend their money.”
Many avid anglers who don’t live near salt water might want to visit the coast to fish for something different. Also, many anglers bring their families for a few days of vacation. While part of the family fishes, the others might want to go shopping, visit some attractions or do other things. Everyone needs lodging, food and fuel.
Furthermore, the state sells about 1,500 commercial fishing licenses, mostly in coastal counties. These fishermen catch shrimp, crabs, oysters and various finfish like red snapper, speckled trout, redfish, flounder and mullet. Their catch supplies fresh seafood to many local markets and restaurants.
“Commercial fishing creates about a $300 million a year economic impact including about 6,500 direct jobs on
the Mississippi Coast,” Spraggins advises. “These are the people who catch and process the seafood coming from the
Gulf of Mexico. We pride ourselves on fresh seafood along the Mississippi Coast. Most seafood that people order in a Coastal Mississippi restaurant or buy at a market was caught that day.”
Shrimp dominates the commercial fishery, with blue crabs coming in a strong second. Mississippi also holds the only commercial redfish season on the Gulf Coast. The state allows commercial fishermen to catch about 60,000 pounds of redfish per year in Mississippi Sound.
“People can go to several places along the coast where the shrimpers come in with their boats and buy fresh shrimp directly off the boat or the dock,” Spraggins advises. “People also catch offshore fish, like red snapper, amberjack and grouper for the commercial markets.
Mississippi also allows practically the only commercial speckled trout fishery. A few fishermen grandfathered into the system still commercially catch trout in Louisiana, but no other state on the Gulf Coast allows the commercial trout harvests.
“The Mississippi seafood industry is wonderful and we invite everyone to come down and eat great fresh South Mississippi seafood,” Spraggins states!
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
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