Louisiana shrimp seasons are biological, not calendar. The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission opens them when the biologists say the shrimp have reached market size, which moves with the weather, the river and the salinity — so the date exists a few weeks before it happens, not a year.
The dates
There is no published date to give you, and the calendar below says so rather than filling itself in. That is the honest state of this fishery, not a gap in our research.
Inside waters
No date to look up. The Wildlife and Fisheries Commission sets the dates by area, usually a few weeks ahead.
In general the spring brown shrimp season runs from around May to July and the autumn white shrimp season from mid-August to mid-December, with some waters staying open into January. In 2026 the Commission opened the fall inshore season at 6 a.m. on August 17 west of South Pass and at 6 p.m. the same day in the stretch between South Pass and the Atchafalaya. Outside waters are open all year except for a closure from around late December to April or May to let small white shrimp grow.
Read on 2026-09-14 from Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Legal dates were read on the agency’s own page on the date shown beside each entry. Seasons change: the agency link is always the last word.
Why Louisiana is different
The pattern is stable even though the dates are not. The spring brown shrimp season generally runs from around May to July. The autumn white shrimp season generally opens mid-August and runs to mid-December, with some waters staying open into January. Outside waters are open all year except a closure from around late December to April or May, which protects small white shrimp long enough to grow. In 2026 the Commission opened the fall inshore season at 6 a.m. on August 17 west of South Pass, and at 6 p.m. the same day in the stretch between South Pass and the Atchafalaya.
What to actually do
How LDWF decides is worth knowing, because it tells you when to start watching: biologists tow trawls at hundreds of sample stations, measure the catch, record salinity and temperature, and model when the majority of shrimp in each estuarine basin will reach market size. When you read that the season is "about to be set", that modelling is what is being argued over. Trawls may not be used at all in state waters while the season is closed.
Where to fish it
We publish a daily report for 13 Louisiana waters, each with live flow or tide.
- Caddo Lake — Caddo County
- Lake Pontchartrain — Orleans County
- Grand Isle — Jefferson County
- Caney Lake — Jackson County
- Black Lake — Natchitoches County
- Lake D Arbonne — Union County
- Calcasieu Lake — Cameron County
- Barataria Bay — Jefferson County
An open season is not permission to fish: Louisiana requires a licence from age 18, from $17.00 for residents. What it costs and where to buy it →
Questions
When does shrimp season open in Louisiana?
It is set each year by the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, by area, usually a few weeks ahead. In general the spring brown shrimp season runs May to July and the autumn white shrimp season from mid-August to mid-December. The 2026 fall inshore season opened on August 17.
Can I shrimp in Louisiana all year?
In outside waters, largely yes — they are open year-round except for a closure from around late December to April or May. Inside waters are only open during the seasons the Commission sets, and trawls may not be used in state waters at all while the season is closed.
Checked by Pablo Ruiz Quintero. Dates move: tell us if this one has and the correction goes in the verification log with the date.