The regulatory body in charge of the northern shrimp fishery will restrict this season’s total catch to 2000 metric tons – one-third of the approximately 6000-metric ton 2010-2011 harvest.
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASFMC) Northern Shrimp Section announced the rules Nov. 1.
The trawl season, according to the ASFMC press release, will start Jan. 2, about two and a half weeks later than the 2010-2011 season’s Dec. 15 opening. Last season, trawlers could land anytime. This time, the Section will permit just three landings a week, on Monday, Thursday and Friday.
The trap season will start Feb. 1. Trappers will be able to fish all week, but must adhere to a 1000-pound landing limit per vessel, per day.
The Section “may… modify management options… to prevent an overage,” according to the press release.
The Section claims the northern shrimp stock is “overfished,” a conclusion many shrimpers dispute.
“[S]hrimp abundance in the western Gulf of Maine has declined steadily since 2006,” according to the Section. “The latest survey showed a much lower than normal abundance of large females and juveniles, with the remaining males and females being small for their age.”
The shrimp industry employs dozens of fishermen and shoreside workers across coastal Lincoln County.
Last year, local shrimpers reacted to the early closure of the season (six weeks ahead of schedule) with disappointment, skepticism about the science behind the closure and trepidation about the future.
Shrimp prices collapsed after back-to-back short seasons in the mid-2000s. The shrimpers fear a similar drop if the Section continues to restrict landings.
The 15-member ASFMC Northern Shrimp Section regulates the northern shrimp fishery in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire and includes representatives from each state, including six Mainers.