December 23, 2013 — On Dec. 3, regulators from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission met to review the latest stock assessment for Northern Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) and determine what the fishing season would look like for Maine fishermen. Everyone in the room was prepared for bad news after the small "do no harm" fishery of 2013. That resulted in landings of just 50 percent of the limited amount of shrimp, while rumors of a low stock assessment circulated the dock all summer.
Few, though, were prepared for presentation from the technical committee that ended with the frightening conclusion that the fishery had collapsed, that in the past three years there had been almost no recruitment—i.e., juveniles become adults—and the fishery needed to be shut down. The managers eventually agreed with the assessment, voting 3-0 to close the fishery
The shock of this decision will be felt along the coast for years to come.
Maine's traditional small boat fishermen are in trouble. Those in our struggling groundfish fishery have increasingly depended on shrimp to supplement their income in the winter months. For some of Maine's small-boat trawl fisherman, shrimp has made up almost 50 percent of their income in recent years and with the closing of this fishery any income from shrimp has been wiped off the books for 2014.
And the economic loss extends beyond those on the water.
The few remaining processing plants, shrimp peddlers and restaurants that feature Maine shrimp will feel this loss. Millions of dollars have been erased from Maine’s economy with no easy replacement.
Now fishermen, managers, and scientists are looking for answers.