Pink Gold Rush They discovered it by accident in the dark of night, and by the time the full moon shone, the Pink Gold Rush was on. Florida shrimpers first netted the nocturnal pink shrimp in 1949, bringing a frenzy of fishermen to Fort Myers Beach. Hundreds of boats once offloaded at the local shrimp docks. Today, fewer than 40 come to port as development, economics, and the environment take their toll. Through seven decades, shrimpers have struggled against adversity. How much longer can they survive?
