The Shrimp Boat

 

423 E. Maxan St.

 

FISHING AND SHRIMPING

    From the early Indians to the present day, fishing has been very important to Port Isabel.  

The Port Isabel area was called “the shrimp capital of the world” in the 1950’s -1960’s The Gulf shrimping industry brought jobs and dollars to the area.  
Port Isabel had at least 200 shrimp boats and ten processing plants.  
The shrimpers caught 12 to 20 million dollars of shrimp per year.  In 1967, the shrimp industry was valued over $100 million.  The rules and regulations changed and the industry declined.  There are still several shrimp boats in operation.

    The Queen Isabella Inn, once known as the Port Isabel Tarpon & Fishing Club, was built in 1906 to lodge the passengers of the Rio Grande Railroad Company.  It was the oldest coastal resort in the Rio Grande Valley.  In 1934, the Rio Grande Valley Fishing Rodeo hosted contests here.  Later it was called the Texas International Fishing Tournament (TIFT).

The Skow Sloop was designed to navigate the shallow waters of the Laguna Madre. It was later outlawed as it was just too efficient for the local fish population.