Sicyonia brevirostris , also known as Rock shrimp, Florida rock shrimp. U.S. wild-caught brown rock shrimp is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.
Source: Species facts, status language, and imagery adapted from the NOAA Fisheries species profile (last updated 06/30/2026). Ocean City charter and Maryland
record notes are editorial orientation for OCEANCITY.MD readers. Always confirm current seasons, sizes, and
bag limits before you fish—rules change.
Illustration/photo: NOAA Fisheries — Brown Rock Shrimp (Sicyonia brevirostris).
Quick facts
Region: New England/Mid-Atlantic,
Southeast
Category: Invertebrate · Mid-Atlantic
Maryland likelihood: 2★ out of 5
About the species
U.S. wild-caught brown rock shrimp is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations.
Maryland record catch
Confirm whether Maryland DNR publishes an Atlantic state-record category for Brown Rock Shrimp on the current sport-fish record board.
Maryland’s Atlantic recreational seasons/sizes/creel summary does not publish a dedicated line for Brown Rock Shrimp. Verify COMAR, DNR public notices, and federal rules for your exact waters before you keep fish.
Rule
Maryland / applicable detail
Maryland minimum size
Not listed — no dedicated Brown Rock Shrimp line on the MD Atlantic recreational table
Maryland daily creel (bag)
Not listed — no MD species-specific bag for Brown Rock Shrimp
Maryland open season
Not listed on the MD Atlantic Ocean / Coastal Bays summary table
Verify
Check DNR eRegulations, COMAR, and NOAA for your date and coordinates before you keep fish.
Brown rock shrimp have a thick, rigid, stony shell.
Their bodies are off-white to pinkish in color, with the back surface darker and blotched or barred with lighter shades.
Their legs are red to reddish-purple and barred with white.
The abdomen has deep transverse grooves and numerous nodules.
Short hairs cover their body and appendages.
Their eyes are large and deeply pigmented.
Appearance
Brown rock shrimp’s growth and development depends on factors such as water temperature and salinity.
They can grow up to 6 inches in length, but most brown rock shrimp found in shallow waters are less than 2 inches long.
They are highly productive and have a short life span, between 20 and 22 months.
Females are able to reproduce when they reach at least ½ to 1 inch in length.
Males mature when they reach about ½ inch long.
Brown rock shrimp spawn year-round in offshore waters, with peaks between November and January.
Individual females can spawn three or more times in one season.
Males and females mate, and the eggs are fertilized when the female simultaneously releases egg and sperm.
Juvenile and adult brown rock shrimp feed on the ocean floor, mainly eating small bivalve mollusks and crustaceans.
Sheepshead, minnows, water boatmen, and insect larvae eat postlarval brown rock shrimp.
A wide variety of species prey on juvenile and adult brown rock shrimp.
Where They Live Range Brown rock shrimp are found from Norfolk, Virginia, south through the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Habitat Brown rock shrimp mainly live on sand bottoms in water 80 to 215 feet deep, although they’ve been found in depths to 600 feet.
They are active at night and burrow in the sand during the day.
Larval brown rock shrimp grow and develop in coastal estuaries and travel back to offshore areas as they mature.
Fishery Management NOAA Fisheries and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council manage the brown rock shrimp fishery.
Managed under the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan : Permits are required to harvest shrimp in federal waters.
Trip reports must be submitted for each fishing trip.
Observers must be carried aboard selected vessels to collect data on catch, bycatch, fishing effort, and fishing gear.
Managers set catch levels based on historic harvest amounts and fishing rates, rather than abundance, because brown rock shrimp are short-lived and heavily influenced by environmental factors.
Vessels are prohibited from trawling in certain areas off Florida to protect deepwater coral habitat.
To ensure compliance, brown rock shrimp vessels must carry vessel monitoring systems .
Brown rock shrimp are occasionally caught in the Gulf of America but not in quantities large enough to warrant specific management measures.
Harvest Commercial fishery: In 2024, landings of brown rock shrimp totaled 4.2 million pounds and were valued at $9.9 million, according to the NOAA Fisheries commercial fishing landings database .
It is not uncommon for brown rock shrimp to experience considerable variations from year to year.
Brown rock shrimp had limited marketability before 1969, when a machine was developed that could split the rock-hard shell and devein the shrimp.
The first major harvest of brown rock shrimp (1,200 pounds) was recorded in 1970 and was valued at $642.
Two years later, landings totaled 443,035 pounds and were valued at more than $258,000.
Almost all the harvest is sold as meat because brown rock shrimp are difficult to peel.
Gear types, habitat impacts, and bycatch: Commercial fishermen harvest shrimp with trawls towed near the ocean floor.
Shrimpers using otter trawl gear in the South Atlantic and Gulf of America are required to use sea turtle excluder devices (TEDs) .
Some shrimp trawlers must also install bycatch reduction devices behind the TED, to reduce finfish bycatch.
Area closures if finfish bycatch exceeds certain thresholds.
Fishermen do not trawl in areas with coral reefs and other known areas of high relief to avoid damage to their nets.
Recreational fishery: Under federal management, there is no recognized recreational fishery.
Fishing in federal waters requires a permit.
Recreational fishermen catch brown rock shrimp seasonally and almost always in state waters.
State regulations vary from state to state.
Scientific Classification Kingdom Animalia Phylum Arthropoda Class Malacostraca Order Decapoda Family Sicyoniidae Genus Sicyonia Species brevirostris Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 06/30/2026
Biology
Brown rock shrimp are found from Norfolk, Virginia, south through the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Habitat Brown rock shrimp mainly live on sand bottoms in water 80 to 215 feet deep, although they’ve been found in depths to 600 feet.
They are active at night and burrow in the sand during the day.
Larval brown rock shrimp grow and develop in coastal estuaries and travel back to offshore areas as they mature.
Fishery Management NOAA Fisheries and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council manage the brown rock shrimp fishery.
Managed under the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan : Permits are required to harvest shrimp in federal waters.
Trip reports must be submitted for each fishing trip.
Observers must be carried aboard selected vessels to collect data on catch, bycatch, fishing effort, and fishing gear.
Managers set catch levels based on historic harvest amounts and fishing rates, rather than abundance, because brown rock shrimp are short-lived and heavily influenced by environmental factors.
Vessels are prohibited from trawling in certain areas off Florida to protect deepwater coral habitat.
To ensure compliance, brown rock shrimp vessels must carry vessel monitoring systems .
Brown rock shrimp are occasionally caught in the Gulf of America but not in quantities large enough to warrant specific management measures.
Harvest Commercial fishery: In 2024, landings of brown rock shrimp totaled 4.2 million pounds and were valued at $9.9 million, according to the NOAA Fisheries commercial fishing landings database .
It is not uncommon for brown rock shrimp to experience considerable variations from year to year.
Brown rock shrimp had limited marketability before 1969, when a machine was developed that could split the rock-hard shell and devein the shrimp.
The first major harvest of brown rock shrimp (1,200 pounds) was recorded in 1970 and was valued at $642.
Two years later, landings totaled 443,035 pounds and were valued at more than $258,000.
Almost all the harvest is sold as meat because brown rock shrimp are difficult to peel.
Gear types, habitat impacts, and bycatch: Commercial fishermen harvest shrimp with trawls towed near the ocean floor.
Shrimpers using otter trawl gear in the South Atlantic and Gulf of America are required to use sea turtle excluder devices (TEDs) .
Some shrimp trawlers must also install bycatch reduction devices behind the TED, to reduce finfish bycatch.
Area closures if finfish bycatch exceeds certain thresholds.
Fishermen do not trawl in areas with coral reefs and other known areas of high relief to avoid damage to their nets.
Recreational fishery: Under federal management, there is no recognized recreational fishery.
Fishing in federal waters requires a permit.
Recreational fishermen catch brown rock shrimp seasonally and almost always in state waters.
State regulations vary from state to state.
Scientific Classification Kingdom Animalia Phylum Arthropoda Class Malacostraca Order Decapoda Family Sicyoniidae Genus Sicyonia Species brevirostris Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 06/30/2026
Where they live
Range
Brown rock shrimp are found from Norfolk, Virginia, south through the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
Habitat Brown rock shrimp mainly live on sand bottoms in water 80 to 215 feet deep, although they’ve been found in depths to 600 feet.
Habitat
NOAA Fisheries and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council manage the brown rock shrimp fishery.
Managed under the Shrimp Fishery Management Plan : Permits are required to harvest shrimp in federal waters.
Trip reports must be submitted for each fishing trip.
Observers must be carried aboard selected vessels to collect data on catch, bycatch, fishing effort, and fishing gear.
Managers set catch levels based on historic harvest amounts and fishing rates, rather than abundance, because brown rock shrimp are short-lived and heavily influenced by environmental factors.
Vessels are prohibited from trawling in certain areas off Florida to protect deepwater coral habitat.
To ensure compliance, brown rock shrimp vessels must carry vessel monitoring systems .
Brown rock shrimp are occasionally caught in the Gulf of America but not in quantities large enough to warrant specific management measures.
Harvest Commercial fishery: In 2024, landings of brown rock shrimp totaled 4.2 million pounds and were valued at $9.9 million, according to the NOAA Fisheries commercial fishing landings database .
It is not uncommon for brown rock shrimp to experience considerable variations from year to year.
Brown rock shrimp had limited marketability before 1969, when a machine was developed that could split the rock-hard shell and devein the shrimp.
The first major harvest of brown rock shrimp (1,200 pounds) was recorded in 1970 and was valued at $642.
Two years later, landings totaled 443,035 pounds and were valued at more than $258,000.
Almost all the harvest is sold as meat because brown rock shrimp are difficult to peel.
Gear types, habitat impacts, and bycatch: Commercial fishermen harvest shrimp with trawls towed near the ocean floor.
Shrimpers using otter trawl gear in the South Atlantic and Gulf of America are required to use sea turtle excluder devices (TEDs) .
Some shrimp trawlers must also install bycatch reduction devices behind the TED, to reduce finfish bycatch.
Area closures if finfish bycatch exceeds certain thresholds.
Fishermen do not trawl in areas with coral reefs and other known areas of high relief to avoid damage to their nets.
Recreational fishery: Under federal management, there is no recognized recreational fishery.
Fishing in federal waters requires a permit.
Recreational fishermen catch brown rock shrimp seasonally and almost always in state waters.
State regulations vary from state to state.
Scientific Classification Kingdom Animalia Phylum Arthropoda Class Malacostraca Order Decapoda Family Sicyoniidae Genus Sicyonia Species brevirostris Last updated by NOAA Fisheries on 06/30/2026
Ocean City & Mid-Atlantic context
From Ocean City, Maryland, use this Brown Rock Shrimp profile as NOAA Mid-Atlantic directory context—not a promise you will meet the species on every charter.
Always verify current Maryland and federal size, season, and bag rules for your exact date and coordinates before you keep any catch.
Source facts and imagery are adapted from the NOAA Fisheries species profile for Brown Rock Shrimp.
What charter to book from Ocean City
Brown Rock Shrimp is more of a bay, inshore, or specialty harvest story than a typical OC six-pack trolling day—match the trip type to the animal.
Possible / related
Bay guide — Possible overlap depending on season, water, and boat program.
Inshore charter — Possible overlap depending on season, water, and boat program.
Commercial fishery: In 2024, landings of brown rock shrimp totaled 4.2 million pounds and were valued at $9.9 million, according to the NOAA Fisheries commercial fishing landings database .
It is not uncommon for brown rock shrimp to experience considerable variations from year to year.
Brown rock shrimp had limited marketability before 1969, when a machine was developed that could split the rock-hard shell and devein the shrimp.
The first major harvest of brown rock shrimp (1,200 pounds) was recorded in 1970 and was valued at $642.
Two years later, landings totaled 443,035 pounds and were valued at more than $258,000.
Almost all the harvest is sold as meat because brown rock shrimp are difficult to peel.
Gear types, habitat impacts, and bycatch: Commercial fishermen harvest shrimp with trawls towed near the ocean floor.
Shrimpers using otter trawl gear in the South Atlantic and Gulf of America are required to use sea turtle excluder devices (TEDs) .
Harvest
See the NOAA wild-caught fishery section for landings and gear notes when published for this species.
Landings and management details matter most for the waters where Brown Rock Shrimp is actually fished—see the
NOAA species profile
.
Seafood facts
Fact
Detail
Availability
Year-round with peaks from July through October.
Source
U.S. wild-caught from North Carolina to Texas, but mainly in Florida.
Taste
Sweet, succulent flavor similar to lobster. Brown rock shrimp are often called the “little shrimp with a big lobster taste,” and can easily be mistaken for a miniature lobster tail.
Texture
Firm.
Color
Transparent or clear white, with fine pinkish or purple lines.
Health
Brown rock shrimp are a good source of selenium, vitamin B12, iron, niacin, and phosphorus.
After a real OC boat day or market stop for Brown Rock Shrimp, Seafood after boat days covers
dock buffer and cook-your-catch pacing.
