A Fernandina Perspective on Shrimp

One could say I have a love affair with shrimp, and they would not be wrong. Plus, I know I am not the only one who feels this way. Food can connect us to a place when we appreciate how it is grown and harvested on a local basis. And, on Amelia Island, very few things define our community better than shrimp. Shrimp have sustained this community in the form of sea captains and deck hands, boat builders, net makers, processors, distributors, and in countless other ways for more than a century.

I grew up eating shrimp at least once a week. I fondly remember my father bringing home a large cooler filled with fresh shrimp from Mayport. He would pay me $0.01 a head to clean them. I observed every part of the shrimp. I love the beautiful array of color on their tails. I know exactly where to pull the little red swimmerets (legs) and shell off a shrimp for easy cleaning. And, I know how to keep from being stabbed by a shrimp horn. I can do all this in just four short motions. I do not remember anyone in our family who looked forward to this job as much as I did. After the shrimp were cleaned and rinsed, we packed them in leftover half-gallon cardboard milk cartons with water and froze them for future use. To this day, I always keep fresh wild shrimp frozen in my freezer.

Americans enjoy, on average, 15 lbs. of seafood annually, and most of that is shrimp. Many of us do not have a clue where that seafood originates. Some seafood is farm-raised right here in America. Other seafood is imported from farms in other countries. We eat wild-caught seafood from other countries, too. And, we consume seafood raised in ocean pens from many different places. It is hard to tell where the seafood on your plates comes from. Labeling and marketing seafood is confusing, to say the least.

I am grateful for Martin Holton who sells local wild shrimp on Eighth Street every Friday – Sunday during shrimp season. His shrimp are always fresh, colorful and he will even snap the heads off for you if you wish. I prefer to clean my own shrimp. And, when I am done cleaning them, I take the heads and shells to the Dee Dee Bartel boat ramp. I walk out to the end of the dock and dump them into the water. I am sure the local crab population enjoys the gift.

Unfortunately, most of Florida coastal waters, rivers and inlets are polluted, today. Eating locally harvested seafood in the state of Florida exposes one to mercury, microplastics, and a host of other pollutants. At the federal level, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have set a joint advisory for seafood contamination. At the state level, the Florida Department of Health has issued a statewide advisory for consuming seafood from Florida coastal waters and rivers.

The Florida Department of Health has developed a fish advisory webpage that lists all Florida fish and how much we can safely consume. They also produced a printable wallet card for quick reference when dining out.

Fortunately for us shrimp lovers, locally caught, wild shrimp are listed as safe to consume in the advisory. Shrimp have a short life cycle, living only about a year. This short life prevents them from accumulating large amounts of pollutants in their tissue. Large fish like king mackerel, cobia, and swordfish live long lives, and accumulate large amounts of pollution in their tissue. This process of pollution absorption is called biomagnification and is illustrated in the graph below. 

Today, only a handful of local shrimpers are still in business on Amelia Island, even though we are the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry. There are many reasons why the local shrimping industry is sinking. They include: imported and farm-raised shrimp, lack of dock space, shortage of laborers, hazardous duty, low pay, and more.

The Northeast Florida Regional Council is conducting a market study to understand what is needed to revive the local shrimping industry. Community representatives from Fernandina Beach, Mayport and St. Augustine are participating in the study. Study results will be presented Friday, May 2 from 11 a.m.-noon, virtually. And, in person on May 6 from 10 a.m.-noon at the Mayport Community Center. For additional information contact Cassidy Taylor at 904-637-9739 or CTaylor@nefrc.org.

It is my hope that we can rescue the local shrimping industry and celebrate our shrimping heritage with fresh, wild-caught shrimps for generations to come. This year, the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival will be held May 2-4. And, nothing defines Amelia Island and its sense of place more than the shrimp festival.

A complete schedule of festival events can be found here.