The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says the 2009 spring inshore shrimp season will close on Monday in Zone 2, the middle of three zones.

It includes state waters from the eastern shore of South Pass of the Mississippi River to the western shore of Vermilion Bay and Southwest Pass at Marsh Island.

Officials say they’re closing that zone to let white shrimp grow big enough to catch. State biologists say the number of small juvenile white shrimp within the area has progressively increased in recent weeks.

Wildlife agents say Zones 1 and 3 will stay open until further notice.