Shrimp season opens next week

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has set the opening date of the 2015-2016 shrimp season in state territorial waters for 6 a.m. Wednesday, June 3.

All boats engaged in catching or transporting shrimp from Mississippi waters must be licensed or permitted by the MDMR before beginning operations.

Recreational and commercial shrimp season north of the Intracoastal Waterway will close at midnight on Dec. 31, 2015. In areas south of the Intracoastal Waterway, shrimp season will close at midnight on April 30, 2016. Live-bait shrimping is open year-round in designated areas.

For more information, call the Mississippi Shrimp Information Hotline at 866-938-7295 or the MDMR at 228-374-5000.