Shrimping will close north of Intracoastal Waterway

Waters north of the Intracoastal Waterway will close to shrimping early on New Year’s Day.

The closure starts at 12:01 a.m. Jan. 1, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources said Thursday.

All other Mississippi territorial waters are still open for shrimping, but boats used for shrimping must be licensed and marine patrol officers will be checking shrimp boats, DMR spokeswoman Melissa Scallan said.

Shrimpers with questions can call a hotline, 1-866-WeTrawl (1-866-938-7295).

Shrimping in waters south of the Intracoastal Waterway typically continues until April 30 or so. Then shrimp season generally resumes in June.

Tonging for oysters reopens at sunrise Friday around the Waveland and St. Stanislaus reefs. Those are in the conditionally approved Area II B region.

Updates have been made to oyster-safety requirements to guard against the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria found in warm sea water.

The new information is available at oyster check stations and by calling the Oyster Hotline at 228-374-5167 or 1-800-385-5902.

This story was originally published December 29, 2016 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Shrimping will close north of Intracoastal Waterway."