what portion of your catch have you noticed with black gill disease out of curiosity to those who have gone out?
before the private season I noticed several commercial shrimpers having an issue with this (not because of black gill being ugly) but because its hit so hard this year, people just arent catching.
wondering how much its affecting us privateers as to whether its even worth my time going out and baiting.
dont want to be out there from sundown till midnight and come home with 4 shrimp…
I’d say about 25% of the few that I’ve caught so far had it.
I definitely noticed it on some of mine. Probably close to 20%.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
Can you still eat the shrimp with this ?
2003 Sea Fox 195 Bayfisher
Yes, you can still eat them. It just effects the growth of the shrimp and will kill them before they reach maturity. I’m sure someone on here knows much more about it than me.
'06 Mckee Craft
184 Marathon
DF140 Suzuki
Copied from SCDNR site.
A second condition that has been common along the Atlantic Coast, beginning in about 1999, is called black gill or brown gill disease. This disease is also caused by a single celled protozoan known as an apostome. The swarming stage of this parasite, called a tomite, apparently attaches and penetrates the gills in the trophont stage. The shrimp gill responds by turning brown or black, becoming darker with greater infection. The condition persists in the shrimp until it molts and casts off its old shell, which includes the outer covering of the gill. Black gill disease usually shows up in mid August, peaks in September and slowly wanes in October. The disease apparently does not directly cause mortality, although laboratory studies have confirmed that it impairs respiration thus reducing the shrimp?s endurance. This may, in turn, make the shrimp more vulnerable to predators or temperature extremes. The parasite is not a danger to humans but may cause shrimp to appear less appealing.
Growing old is MANDATORY, Growing up is OPTIONAL!
So far, from a commercial point of view, there hasn’t been many shrimp with it this year. Last year every shrimp we caught in August it seemed had it, and we had the beginning of a good season. They just didn’t shed it off like they should have. We went from ok to friggin horrible in a matter of weeks. This year the hand full that do have it are small and none of the big ones have it that I’ve seen. I suppose that means they are shedding it off like they are supposed to and this year could turn out to be a decent one… Thank God!