Georgia shrimp season opens Tuesday

The shrimp season on Georgia waters opens at 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

Commissioner Chris Clark of the state Department of Natural Resources said trawlers will be allowed to operate in the state’s territorial waters extending 3 miles offshore. People also can use cast nets and beach seines to catch shrimp.

Clark set the opening date at the recommendation of DNR biologists who’ve conducted monthly surveys of the shrimp population.

The DNR said shrimpers in Georgia reported harvesting 1.9 million pounds of shrimp last year.

Shrimping is Georgia’s largest seafood industry.