Shrimp in SC

Glossary

estuary: The part of the wide, lower course of a river where the current is met by tides of the ocean. “Where rivers meet the sea.”
emigration: To migrate from an area: shrimp emigrate from the estuary as they become adults.
fishing mortality: The death of aquatic animals resulting from fishing efforts by man.
fishing pressure: The collective amount of fishing activity that affects aquatic animals.
immigration: The migration of animals into an area: postlarval shrimp immigrate into an estuary from the ocean.
natural mortality: The death of animal life through natural causes; e.g. predation, disease, natural environmental stress, etc.
periopods: On shrimp, the five pair of walking legs used in locomotion.
plankton: Usually small animals, including larvae and postlarvae, that are transported by tidal and wind-driven ocean currents.
pleopods: On shrimp, the feather-like appendages located on the underside of the tail. Used primarily in swimming.
postlarvae: In shrimp, the first stage in the life cycle which takes on the shrimp-like appearance and follows the larval stages. Postlarval shrimp are usually 4-12 mm in length. Shrimp immigrate into the estuaries as postlarvae.
spawning: The release of eggs by shrimp or fish. Eggs are usually broadcast and either sink to the bottom or drift as plankton.
spermatophore: In shrimp, the “packet” that contains the sperm. The spermatophore is attached to the female shrimp near the gonopore, either on the outside of the exoskeleton or under exoskeletal plates depending upon the species.
stock: Animals of the same species, usually aquatic or marine, that reproduce with one another and live in the same general geographic area.
uropod: In shrimp, one of the four appendages on the shrimp’s tail that form the fan which is brightly colored in some species. The fan is used in helping shrimp move themselves backward quickly..

This publication was made possible in part with funds from the sale of the South Carolina Saltwater Recreational Fishing License and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sportfish Restoration Fund. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources publishes an annual Rules and Regulations booklet that lists all saltwater fishing regulations. Have an enjoyable fishing trip by reading these requirements before you fish.

Author credentials: J. David Whitaker, Peter Kingsley-Smith of the Marine Resources Division

The above information on shrimp is available in a brochure, please download the Sea Science - Shrimp information pamphlet which is in the Adobe PDF file format. Adobe® Reader® is required to open the files and is available as a free download from the Adobe® Web site.