Shrimp fishermen and processors have mounted an online petition drive aimed at persuading state regulators to increase the amount of shrimp that can be landed this season.
If no changes are made to the quota of 2,000 metric tons, industry officials say, some of Maine's shrimp processors could lose overseas markets that took them years to build. Those losses also would hurt fishermen, many of whom rely on shrimp fishing in the winter to supplement their income from lobstering or ground fishing.
"It is the one thing that is going on along the coast of Maine from January to March that puts a paycheck in more than 1,500 people's pockets," said John Norton, owner of Cozy Harbor Seafood in Portland.
Norton, part of the group that came up with the idea for the petition at SaveOurShrimp.org, said the Maine shrimp fleet totaled about 280 boats last year and employed about 1,500 people between boat crews, processing workers, truckers and dock workers.
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