BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says the 2016 spring inshore shrimp season will close Monday in the remainder of state inside waters except for the open waters of Breton and Chandeleur (SHAN"-dur-lear) Sounds. This action closes shrimping in the open waters of the Mississippi Sound.

Effective with this closure, all state inside waters will be closed to shrimping except for the open waters of Breton and Chandeleur Sounds.  All state outside waters seaward will remain open to shrimp harvesting until further notice.

Data collected in recent weeks by state biologists indicate increased quantity, distribution and percentage of small, juvenile white shrimp within these waters. The decision to close these waters was made to protect these developing shrimp and provide opportunity for growth to larger and more marketable sizes.