Over the objections of fishermen and shrimp processors, regulators decided Wednesday to shut down New England's shrimp fishery after Friday because fishermen have reached their catch limit for this season.
As a conservation measure, fishermen were allowed to harvest no more than 4.9 million pounds of shrimp this year from the Gulf of Maine. The catch limit has probably already been exceeded, prompting regulators to shut down the fishery.
In a conference call Wednesday, regulators from Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire who serve on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's shrimp-regulating panel said it was their duty to shut down the fishery to avoid harming the shrimp population and forcing strict regulations next year.
This is the third year in a row that the catch limit has been surpassed, said Ritchie White, who represents New Hampshire on the panel.
Read the complete Associated Press story in The Portland Press Herald