August 26, 2015 — Gulf of Maine shrimp might come back on the market eventually but there could be fewer fishermen catching them.
Regulators are considering putting a limit on the number of shrimp fishermen, which include a small number of fishermen from Gloucester and other portions of Cape Ann, who can participate in the Gulf of Maine’s beleaguered shrimp fishery in an attempt to revive the shuttered industry.
A board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is developing a proposal to control the number of fishermen who can fish for the shrimp that are prized for their sweet, tender meat. The plan will likely be the subject of public hearings next year, and could apply as soon as the 2017 fishing year, said commission spokeswoman Tina Berger.
The fishery has been shut down to shrimping since 2013 because of historically low levels of recruitment and spawning which has left the shrinking shrimp population in a perilous state.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Gloucester Daily Times