June 10, 2015 — Interstate regulators on Friday will explore potential management elements for the beleaguered Gulf of Maine northern shrimp fishery, including limiting entry to fishermen when and if the shrimp stock recovers.
The shrimp advisory panel of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is scheduled to meet Friday in Portland, Maine, to review public comments, as well as consider various other tools to help manage the fishery in the future.
One thing is for sure: The commission’s two-year moratorium on fishing for northern shrimp, enacted in December 2013, will continue for the remainder of the 2015 season and could extend into the 2016 season if the stock continues to struggle.
“We can’t speculate on what’s going to happen in 2016,” said Max Appelman, the commission’s fishery management plan coordinator. “But the moratorium likely will be brought up.”