Saving Seafood

Northern Shrimp Section Maintains Moratorium Through 2028

December 12 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section (Section) maintained the current moratorium on northern shrimp fishing for another three years through the 2028 fishing year, with no sampling program in 2026. This action responds to the northern shrimp stock remaining at low biomass levels over the past decade despite the fishing moratorium, first implemented in 2014.

 
The 2025 Northern Shrimp Data Update found no improvement in stock status with new time series lows in total abundance. Environmental conditions have been unfavorable for northern shrimp during the moratorium, although two environmental indices, the index of predation pressure and winter surface temperature, showed improvement in the most recent year of data. New recruitment and temperature management triggers were implemented through Amendment 4 and used in management for the first time this year. However, neither trigger was tripped. 
 
While the moratorium will remain in place for three years, the Northern Shrimp Technical Committee will continue to provide the Section with annual data updates and management trigger analyses. If the recruitment and/or temperature triggers are tripped during the three-year moratorium, the Section can consider management action including sampling programs for 2027 and 2028. For the recruitment trigger, three years of non-failed recruitment would initiate a full stock assessment update with projections to be completed as soon as possible. For the temperature trigger, two out of three consecutive years of winter surface temperature and spring bottom temperature below the 80thpercentile of the reference period (1984-2017) would prompt the Section to consider running the winter sampling program without the use of the size-sorting grates.
 
For more information, please contact Chelsea Tuohy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atctuohy@asmfc.org  or  703.842.0740.

ASMFC Approves Amendment 4 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp

May 11, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission approved Amendment 4 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for Northern Shrimp. In response to the continued poor condition of the northern shrimp stock, Amendment 4 modifies the first objective of the FMP to recognize the influence of environmental conditions on stock productivity and lengthens the amount of time the Northern Shrimp Section can set a moratorium from one year to up to five years. The Section can call a meeting at any time to review information relative to the fishery and the resource and initiate management action if necessary.

Amendment 4 also adds management triggers to the FMP as part of the annual stock monitoring process. Management triggers include recruitment and temperature triggers that signal potential improvement in stock conditions. The recruitment trigger will be achieved when the stock experiences non-failed recruitment for three consecutive years. If achieved, a stock assessment update will be conducted. If the recruitment trigger is not achieved, but non-failed recruitment occurs in two out of three years, the Section will consider conducting a winter sampling program without the use of size-sorting grates. This program will allow the Northern Shrimp Technical Committee to evaluate stage and length frequencies, and year class persistence before initiating a full assessment update. The temperature trigger will be considered reached when two out of three consecutive years of winter surface temperature and spring bottom temperature in the Gulf of Maine fall below the 80th percentile of the reference period. If achieved, the Section will consider a winter sampling program. These triggers are intended to help the Section identify if the stock is viable enough to support a fishery.

Finally, Amendment 4 adds the specifications setting timeline and management triggers to measures subject to change through adaptive management, allowing these management measures to be changed in the future via an addendum rather than an amendment.

All provisions of Amendment 4 are considered effective immediately. Amendment 4 will be available on the Commission’s website, https://asmfc.org/species/northern-shrimp/, by the end of May. For more information, please contact Chelsea Tuohy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at ctuohy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.

 

Meetings Materials for the May 1 Northern Shrimp Section and Advisory Panel Meetings are Now Available

April 17, 2025 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

Meeting materials for the Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section (Section) and Advisory Panel (AP) upcoming meetings are now available at https://asmfc.org/events/northern-shrimp-section-6/ and https://asmfc.org/events/northern-shrimp-advisory-panel-4/, respectively. Both groups will meet on Thursday, May 1, at the Hyatt Place Portland-Old Port, 433 Fore Street, Portland, Maine. The AP will meet from 9 – 11 AM to review public comment and provide input on Draft Amendment 4.

The Section will meet from 12 – 3 PM on the same day to select final management options and consider recommending final approval of Amendment 4 to the Commission; if the document is moved forward, the Business Session of the Commission will consider its final approval on May 8 as part of the Spring Meeting. The Section will also review the final report from the industry-based pilot winter sampling program. Draft Amendment 4 considers options for setting multi-year moratoria and the implementation of a management trigger. The management trigger would be comprised of a set of biological and/or environmental indicators that could signal when the northern shrimp stock in the Gulf of Maine is at a population level that could support sustainable fishery.

Webinar Information

Only the Section meeting will be available via webinar. To register for the webinar, please go to: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4876698453855280735 (Webinar ID: 137-901-131). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), you may also call in at +1 (415) 655-0052, access code 983-888-617. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, press the # key when asked for a PIN. The webinar will begin 15 minutes prior to the meeting so that people can troubleshoot any connectivity or audio issues they may encounter.  If you are having issues with the webinar (connecting to or audio related issues), please contact Chris Jacobs at 703.842.0790.

Meeting Process

The Section Chair will ask both in-person and virtual board members if they wish to speak. In-person members can simply raise their hands at the meeting without logging on to the webinar, while virtual members will raise their hands on the webinar. The Chair will work with staff to compile the list of speakers, balancing the flow of questions/comments between in-person and virtual attendees. The same process will be used for public comment. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For more information, please contact Chelsea Tuohy, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, atctuoy@asmfc.org or 703.842.0740.    

 

MAINE: Select group of Maine’s fishing industry will get rare chance to catch Northern Shrimp

January 8, 2025 — Dozens of fishermen have applied for a rare chance to catch Northern Shrimp once again, after the population has been off limits for over a decade.

The Maine Department of Marine Resources will soon select just seven members of Maine’s fishing industry to participate in a winter sampling research program for northern shrimp.

In partnership with the Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission Northern Shrimp Board, it aims to collect data for the stock assessment to determine if the moratorium that began in 2013 can be lifted.

The moratorium was put in place due to low population levels that scientist attribute to climate change.

Read the full article at Fox 22 

Fishermen face shutdowns as warming hurts species

October 28, 2022 — Fishing regulators and the seafood industry are grappling with the possibility that some once-profitable species that have declined with climate change might not come back.

Several marketable species harvested by U.S. fishermen are the subject of quota cuts, seasonal closures and other restrictions as populations have fallen and waters have warmed. In some instances, such as the groundfishing industry for species like flounder in the Northeast, the changing environment has made it harder for fish to recover from years of overfishing that already taxed the population.

Officials in Alaska have canceled the fall Bristol Bay red king crab harvest and winter snow crab harvest, dealing a blow to the Bering Sea crab industry that is sometimes worth more than $200 million a year, as populations have declined in the face of warming waters. The Atlantic cod fishery, once the lifeblood industry of New England, is now essentially shuttered. But even with depleted populations imperiled by climate change, it’s rare for regulators to completely shut down a fishery, as they’re considering doing for New England shrimp.

The Northern shrimp, once a seafood delicacy, has been subject to a fishing moratorium since 2014. Scientists believe warming waters are wiping out their populations and they won’t be coming back. So the regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is now considering making that moratorium permanent, essentially ending the centuries-old harvest of the shrimp.

It’s a stark siren for several species caught by U.S. fishermen that regulators say are on the brink. Others include softshell clams, winter flounder, Alaskan snow crabs and Chinook salmon.

Read the full article at ABC News

How warming ocean temperatures wiped out Maine’s shrimp industry

June 24, 2022 — Shrimp is one of the iconic New England meals.

Unfortunately, Gulf of Maine shrimp or northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) are a cold-water species and New England is on the very southern tip of their range.

They occur from the Arctic to northern New England and are one species that is so temperature-dependent that we could use them as an indicator to detect climate changes.

Since 2014 fishing for northern shrimp has been banned in the United States. The stock in our area has decreased to the point where they are not reproducing. This is not due to overfishing; it is directly due to the temperature of the water. They have simply moved north to colder Canadian waters.

Read the full story at The Portsmouth Herald

ASMFC November/December 2021 Issue of Fisheries Focus Now Available

December 21, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The November/December issue of ASMFC Fisheries Focus is now available at http://www.asmfc.org/uploads/file/61c21fa3FishFocusNovDec2021.pdf.

 
INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Upcoming Meetings

page 2

From the Executive Director’s Desk: A Time for Celebration and Reflection
page 3 

Species Profile: Northern Shrimp
page 4

Proposed Management Actions
page 7 

ASMFC 2022 Winter Meeting Preliminary Agenda & Public Comment Guidelines
page 8

The Latest from ACCSP: 2021 Accomplishments
page 10

Employee of the Quarter: Kristen Anstead
page 11

Science Highlight: Management Strategy Evaluations and Their Use in Fisheries Management
page 12

Comings & Goings
page 14

Past issues of Fisheries Focus can be found at http://www.asmfc.org/search/%20/%20/Fishery-Focus

Materials for the December 17th Meeting of the ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section Now Available

December 2, 2021 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

The materials for the December 17th meeting of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section are now available here. The Section will meet via webinar on December 17th from 9-11 AM. The purpose of the meeting is to review the results of the 2021 Stock Assessment Update Report and set specifications for the 2022 fishing season. The Northern Shrimp Advisory Panel will be meeting on December 16th from 9-10:30 AM to develop recommendations regarding 2022 specifications for the Section’s consideration; more information on the Panel’s meeting can be found here.

Section Webinar Information

To register for the webinar go to https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3795028573879517455 (Webinar ID: 433-977-227). If you are joining the webinar but will not be using VoIP, you can also call in at +1 (914) 614-3426. A PIN will be provided to you after joining the webinar; see webinar instructions for details on how to receive the PIN. For those who will not be joining the webinar but would like to listen in to the audio portion only, you can do so by dialing +1 (914) 614-3426, access code 361-188-250.

The webinar will allow registrants to listen to the Section’s deliberations and view presentations and motions as they occur.  The Section will provide the public the opportunity to bring matters of concern to the Section’s attention at the start of the meeting. The Section Chair will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the Section Chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

Public Comment Guidelines

With the intent of developing policies in the Commission’s procedures for public participation that result in a fair opportunity for public input, the ISFMP Policy Board has approved the following guidelines for use at management board meetings:

For issues that are not on the agenda, management boards/sections will continue to provide opportunity to the public to bring matters of concern to the board’s attention at the start of each board meeting. Board/section chairs will ask members of the public to raise their hands to let the chair know they would like to speak. Depending upon the number of commenters, the board/section chair will decide how to allocate the available time on the agenda (typically 10 minutes) to the number of people who want to speak.

For topics that are on the agenda, but have not gone out for public comment, board chairs will provide limited opportunity for comment, taking into account the time allotted on the agenda for the topic. Chairs will have flexibility in deciding how to allocate comment opportunities; this could include hearing one comment in favor and one in opposition until the chair is satisfied further comment will not provide additional insight to the board.

For agenda action items that have already gone out for public comment, it is the Policy Board’s intent to end the occasional practice of allowing extensive and lengthy public comments. Currently, board chairs have the discretion to decide what public comment to allow in these circumstances.

In addition, the following timeline has been established for the submission of written comment for issues for which the Commission has NOT established a specific public comment period (i.e., in response to proposed management action).

1. Comments received by 5 PM on Monday, December 6 will be included in the supplemental materials.

2. Comments received by 10 AM on Thursday, December 16 will be distributed electronically to Section members prior to the meeting.

The submitted comments must clearly indicate the commenter’s expectation from the ASMFC staff regarding distribution.  As with other public comment, it will be accepted via mail, fax, and email.

 

Regulators to decide on future of Maine shrimp fishery

November 29, 2021 — The latest chapter of Maine’s shrimp fishery is expected to be decided next month.

The fishery has been closed for nearly a decade after a collapse of the northern shrimp’s stock in 2013. A moratorium on the fishery has been in place ever since. It is set to expire at the end of this year and regulators plan to review an updated stock assessment and decide if the fishery should reopen.

The Atlantic State Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section plans to meet virtually from 9-11 a.m. on Dec. 17 to discuss the update and set the specifications for the 2022 shrimp season.

An advisory shrimp panel plans to meet the morning before to develop recommendations for the section to consider.

Read the full story at The Ellsworth American

Squid a possible culprit in Gulf of Maine shrimp’s demise

October 14, 2021 — Maine’s shrimp fishery has been closed for nearly a decade since the stock’s collapse in 2013. Scientists are now saying a species of squid that came into the Gulf of Maine during a historic ocean heatwave the year before may have been a “major player” in the shrimp’s downturn.

In 2012, the Gulf of Maine experienced some of its warmest temperatures in decades. Within a couple of years, the cold-water-loving northern shrimp had rapidly declined and the fishery, a small but valued source of income for fishermen in the offseason, closed.

Anne Richards, a biologist at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, and Margaret Hunter, a biologist with the Maine Department of Marine Resources, studied the collapse and found that it coincided with an influx of longfin squid, a major shrimp predator.

The squid is a “voracious and opportunistic” predator that Richards and Hunter believe expanded in the gulf during the heatwave at the same time the shrimp population was struggling because of warmer water temperatures.

Read the full story at the Portland Press Herald