PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A decision is due about whether New England’s long-shuttered shrimp fishery can reopen, but it looks like an extended shutdown is looming.
New England shrimp fishing is based in Maine and has been shut down since 2013. An arm of the regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is meeting on Wednesday in Portland to decide if there will be a fishery this coming season.
The commission is tasked with determining if the shrimp population has recovered enough to withstand commercial fishing pressure. An advisory panel has recommended keeping the fishery closed.
The shrimp fishery has traditionally taken place in the winter months. The shrimp were a popular winter seafood item in New England and beyond. Regulators say the shrimp are suffering from poor reproduction and warming ocean temperatures.
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