August 26, 2022 — Regulators are considering a permanent closure of the northern shrimp fishery off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section met in Portland last week to discuss several issues related to the northern shrimp.
There has not been a northern shrimp fishing season in the Gulf of Maine since 2013. A moratorium was placed on the fishery because the shrimp population collapsed.
In 2013, Maine fishermen caught 602,980 pounds of shrimp for a value of $1,082,342. In 2012, Maine’s shrimp catch was 4,910,955 pounds with a value of $4,688,796 and in 2011 the catch was 10,191,149 pounds worth $7,671,751.