Why is the shrimp industry booming?

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Attention seafood lovers, the Cape Fear area shrimp industry is booming and now local restaurants and seafood markets are set to be filled with fresh shrimp.

Co-owner of Blackburn Brother’s Fresh Seafood Bret Blackburn says we are having a longer shrimp season because of our extremely wet year and current mild winter.

Vennis Lee Smith works at Howard’s Seafood and Convenience Store on Castle Street in Wilmington.

Smith says his shop is busy with customers looking for shrimp.

“We sell a lot of shrimp especially at night,” said Smith.

He says his shrimp is fresh and delivered twice a week by Blackburn Brothers Fresh Seafood. He’s sold a lot of shrimp this month and says the shrimp sales are opposite of crabs.

“Since it’s cold [crabs] are going under the mud,” said Smith. “So, we sell a lot of shrimp.”

Blackburn says the weather is impacting this boom.

“We’ve had more rain this year then I think we’ve ever had,” Blackburn said.

He calls that a blessing for shrimpers.

“These men are able to go out and still make a living but once cold weather hits and sets in it will be done for the season,” said Blackburn.

He and his brothers have been in the seafood business since 1977, providing fresh seafood to local markets and restaurants across the state.

“We take a lot of pride in the product that we sell, and we want to make sure that people recognize our name,” said Blackburn.

He says last year the shrimp season ended in December. He expects this boom to end in the next two or three weeks as weather forecasts project an arctic air mass.

North Carolina shrimpers broke records in 2016 and 2017. A biologist with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries also attributes increased harvests to warmer winters and water.