October 29, 2014 — Scientists say the Gulf of Maine shouldn’t be fished for northern shrimp for a second straight season because of concerns of warming ocean temperatures.
A technical committee that advises federal regulators is strongly recommending the extension of a moratorium on the fishery that began earlier this year. A draft of the committee’s report to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which regulates the fishery, says “long term trends in environmental conditions” are unfavorable for the shrimp.
The draft report pins the decline of the cold-water shrimp on rising ocean temperatures. The Northern Shrimp Technical Committee’s report advises regulators that “the depleted condition of the resource and poor prospects for the near future” warrant extending the moratorium into next year.
Fishermen from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts fish for the small, pinkish, succulent shrimp in the early part of the year. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section had closed this year’s shrimp season for the first time in more than 30 years and is set to vote on next year’s season on Nov. 5.
The fishery’s estimated population has fallen by a factor of 14, regulators have said.