Coonstripe Shrimp (Pandalus hypsinotis) Found on Beach After Storm

Observation by Janet Mitchell:

I have never see this type of specie wash up in our area. I don't know what they're called but they washed up during the November 8 storm.

Asia Beder, Fisheries Biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, writes:

It is definitely a pandalid shrimp. My best guess is coonstripe (Pandalus hypsinotis), but I am not 100% sure.

Comments from LEO Editors:

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Coonstripe shrimp are identified by the distinct dark bands across their abdomen which resemble the stripes on a raccoon's tail. They are the second largest shrimp in Alaska, typically ranging between 4 and 6 inches in length, and can be found along the Gulf of Alaska coast and in Norton Sound at a depth of 30-300 feet. Little is known about their statewide abundance, but harvests are reported by subsistence and recreational fishers, as well as in fishery management surveys.