Blessing is unofficial start for shrimpers

The annual Blessing of the Fleet in Chauvin dates back to the 1920s, and although the number of participants has declined during recent years, Monsignor Fred Brunet said the Sunday event would go on as planned.

“It has been kind of rough on the fishermen for some time now,” Brunet said. “We have less and less boats that participate. I can remember the day when we had 100 boats. Of course I don’t make the boats and I don’t drive them. All I do is go up and down the bayou and bless them.”

The tradition is one in which a local priest, fleet blessings also take place in Dulac, Golden Meadow, Pointe-aux-Chenes and other locations, will typically ride in a lead boat, offer his blessing to vessels he passes, then head a procession of festively decorated vessels as they parade in anticipation of the spring shrimp season. Like most Louisiana gatherings, the event includes a party atmosphere and feasting on local cuisine.

“I think it is a wonderful tradition and I would not like to see it stop,” Brunet said. “I don’t know how many will follow me in the parade, although they tell me a number of them will. Of course the main idea is to ask God’s blessing for the fisherman, his boat, his equipment, his life and everything.”

According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the various spring shrimp seasons, as well as other runs, are generally flexible because starting and ending dates are based upon technological and biological data relative to shrimp populations.

LDWF Secretary Robert Barham said last Monday that dates for the spring inshore shrimp season will be set by the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission on May 5.

Generally the spring inshore season begins in early to mid-May and extends until July. The fall inshore season typically begins in mid-August and extends into December.

Shrimp season in Louisiana’s outer coastal waters typically is year-round, except for designated areas that will be closed between late fall and early winter and extend into April or May.

Shrimp season in federal waters of the Gulf outside Louisiana’s territorial waters is usually opened all year and controlled by federal agencies.

With this general schedule in mind, Brunet said that the current open waters shrimp season for Breton and Chandeleur sounds had been extended “until further notice.”

Data provided by the LDWF for the 2010 seasons listed an approximate total of 72.9 million pounds of shrimp harvested with a dockside value of $104.2 million. White shrimp landings accounted for 76 percent of that total and 79 percent of the listed value.

Burnet confirmed that some of the hardships experienced by shrimpers during the past year were connected to the BP explosion and oil spill of April 20, 2010. Several fisheries were damaged, and many shrimpers are still making repairs to their vessels and repainting them following cleanup efforts. He also said that reduced participation in the blessing “was a trend long before BP.”

“It is hard to say what the season will be like,” said shrimper Rodney Pellegrin who intends to participate in the blessing. “I’ve been in the shrimping business all my life. We’ve had our ups and downs.”

After disruptions the past year for the shrimp industry and other coastal-based businesses, Brunet indicated that this spring, more than normal, might justify the offering of a blessing for the safety of fishermen and prayers of a bountiful harvest.

David Gonzales prepares for the spring shrimp season on board the Anna Marie on Bayou Terrebonne. He intends to participate in the annual Blessing of the Fleet. MIKE NIXON