Craw-shrimp?

Michelle Stuckey

Many fishermen were left scratching their heads when this unusual shrimp was caught last week, but a marine biologist with the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said the crustacean is fairly common.

“This appears to be a river shrimp belonging to the genus Macrobrachium,” Martin Bourgeois said. “They’re quite common in major rivers and once supported a significant food fishery.”

Bourgeois said there are a few fishermen that still trap the river shrimp using wooden or wire traps because they are supposed to be a top catfish bait.

The LSU AG Center says that the species shown in the photo is usually found in south Texas, the Caribbean, and south Florida. Occasionally a rare specimen is found along the northern Gulf Coast.

In warm climates these crustaceans can grow over a foot long without counting the arms and they are notoriously mean tempered.