Shrimping Charters in Whittier, Alaska Starting April 15

There are five species of shrimp (Pandalus family) found in Alaskan waters: northern (formally “pink”), humpy, sidestripe, coonstripe, and spot. Both northern and humpy shrimp are usually marketed as cocktail or salad shrimp. Sidestripes are usually found in much deeper water, while spots are usually the largest species.

Pandalid shrimp are among the relatively few animals the are hermaphroditic. Most individuals spend the early part of their mature lives as males, and then transform into females for the rest of their lifetimes. Females carry from a few hundred to as many as 4,000 eggs. Eggs hatch in the spring, and by mid-summer, the shrimp larvae have typically grown enough to settle into their preferred habitat as a juvenile shrimp.