Commercial Shrimp Industry

Mississippi Commercial Landings

The annual Mississippi commercial landings and dockside values of all shrimp species, primarily white and brown shrimp, are shown below from 1950 to the present (Fig. 1-2). From 1950 to 1983, yearly landings averaged about 8.3 million pounds, valued at $5.2 million (Fig. 3). Higher annual landings were reported from 1984 to 2004, averaging 13.9 million pounds and valued at $26.2 million yearly. Since 2005, commercial landings have declined to 8.3 million pounds, valued lower, averaging $14.1 million annually. 

Economic Contributions by Major Species 

In response to requests by state regulatory agencies and seafood organizations, the 2009 (and later) economic contributions of the Mississippi seafood industry by major species were imputed from state estimates published by NOAA Fisheries. Extension and research publications were developed to document the economic contributions of Mississippi's major seafood species that landed, processed, sold, and consumed.

This report includes four types of economic impacts: sales, jobs, income, and value-added. These impacts are not additive. Each type represents a specific economic activity reported. Income, value-added, and sales impacts are expressed in dollars for the year specified by the user. Sales are the gross sales of businesses within the economic region affected by an activity. Labor income includes personal income, such as wages and salaries, and proprietors' income, or income from self-employment. Employment impacts are expressed as a mix of full-time and part-time jobs.

Mississippi Shrimp Industry in 2009 

The economic contributions of the shrimp industry in 2009 are shown in Table 1 below. The sales contributions reached $142 million in 2009, generating over 3,000 full-time and part-time jobs. The income contribution was $57 million, and the value-added created was $73 million. The industry added tax impacts of over $6 million. 

Mississippi Shrimp Industry in 2011 

The 2011 economic contributions of the Mississippi shrimp industry are shown in Table 2 below. The shrimp industry's sales contributed more than $132 million in 2011. The industry created almost 3,000 full-time and part-time jobs in the same year and generated an income contribution of over $52 million. The industry produced value-added contributions reaching over $67 million and tax impacts over $10 million.

Mississippi Shrimp Industry in 2015

The 2015 estimates of the economic contributions of the shrimp industry in Mississippi are shown in Table 3 below. Sales contribution totaled $215 million and generated 4,276 full-time and part-time jobs. The income contribution was $88.5 million, and the value-added created was $112.4 million.

Mississippi Shrimp Industry in 2020 

The 2020 estimates of the economic contributions of the shrimp industry in Mississippi are shown in Table 4 below. Sales contributions totaled $166.8 million and generated 2,995 full-time and part-time jobs. The income contribution was $67 million, and the value-added created was $99.1 million.

Mississippi Shrimp Industry in 2023 

The 2023 estimates of the economic contributions of the shrimp industry in Mississippi are shown in Table 5 below. The sales contribution further declined, totaling $93.5 million, and generated 1,414 full-time and part-time jobs. The income contribution was $37.1 million, and the value-added created was $47.5 million.

Overall, the Mississippi shrimp industry has not yet recovered from the damages associated with recent disasters, especially the 2019 Bonnet Carre Spillway disaster and the global pandemic. These estimates are not additive. Separate measures like sales, output, and value-added track the same underlying dollars through different lenses, meaning they overlap rather than stack. Combining separate event estimates counts the same transactions more than once, i.e., double counting.