PORTLAND, Maine — Seafood lovers might see the return of Maine shrimp to fish market counters and restaurants next year if interstate regulators decide the critter’s population is strong enough.
The Maine shrimp fishery has been shut down since 2013, and a moratorium has been extended every year since. The regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission has said the shrimp are “considered at record low levels,” suffering from poor reproduction and warming oceans.
But an arm of the commission is set to vote on Nov. 29 on whether the shrimp have recovered enough to withstand the return of commercial fishing. They were a popular winter seafood item in New England and beyond before the shutdown.
The shrimp are mostly associated with Maine but were also brought to shore in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.