Northern shrimp Archives - Page 7 of 7

September 28, 2015 — The three states involved in the Gulf of Maine northern shrimp fishery are no closer to agreeing on future management options for the beleaguered fishery and have postponed until next summer the discussion on limiting access to the fishery when it reopens.

The northern shrimp section of the Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission, the multi-state regulator for shrimp and other near-shore species, announced it has halted further development of the draft amendment addressing access to the collapsed fishery.

Now it appears it largely will be left to Maine to come up with a plan amenable to Massachusetts, New Hampshire and the rest of the ASMFC.

“The states were having trouble finding something that would work for them all,” said ASMFC spokeswoman Tina Berger. “So, for now, Maine will tackle it on their own because they have by far the largest number of fishermen in the fishery.”

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

September 24, 2015 — The following was released by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission:

ASMFC Northern Shrimp Section Postpones Development of Draft Amendment 3

Portsmouth, NH – The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Northern Shrimp Section has postponed further development of Draft Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Northern Shrimp until next summer. The intent of the amendment was to address increased effort in the fishery through a variety of management options including limited entry.

“Given the collapsed status of the resource and the fact that the fishery is currently under a moratorium, the Section decided to postpone further action on the amendment until Maine can address over-capacity in its fishery,” stated Section Chair Michael Armstrong from Massachusetts.

Maine has committed to develop a draft proposal to address over-capacity in the fishery. As it develops the proposal, Maine will seek the input of interested stakeholders, including fishery managers, state legislative representatives, and the fishing industry. The Section is scheduled to meet December 7th (location to be determined) to review the 2015 stock status update, receive Advisory Panel input, and set fishery specifications for the 2016 fishing season. Additionally, Maine will provide a preliminary update of its proposal at the December 7th meeting.

For more information, please contact Max Appelman, Fishery Management Plan Coordinator, at 703.842.0740 or mappelman@asmfc.org.