Northern Shrimp Section Maintains Moratorium Through 2028

New England Shrimp Fishery Shut Down Extended Amid Gulf of Maine Stock Crisis

UNITED STATES
Monday, December 15, 2025, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Regulators Maintain Moratorium for at Least Three More Years After Unsuccessful Sampling Pilot

PORTLAND, Maine — Regulators have voted to extend the shutdown of New England's northern shrimp fishery for at least another three years, citing persistently low stock abundance in the Gulf of Maine and warming ocean temperatures. The decision, made Thursday by a board within the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), effectively sidelines an industry that was once a major winter livelihood for fishermen, particularly those from Maine.

Photo: Camarón del Norte - Comisión de Pesca Marina de los Estados del Atlántico

The fishery has been under a moratorium since 2014, a consequence of a declining population of small pink shrimp due to warming ocean temperatures, which scientists say have created an increasingly inhospitable environment for the species.

The ASMFC's latest decision followed a limited, industry-funded sampling and data collection program conducted last winter by fishermen from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The pilot was designed to gather current data on the stock's status. Seven of the nine participating fishermen were from Maine.

Fishermen were authorized to harvest up to 58,400 pounds (26,489 kilograms) of northern shrimp during the program. However, despite the allowance, the participating fishermen caught only 70 individual shrimp, totaling less than three pounds (1.36 kilograms).

Photo: NOAA and Northern Shrimp - Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission -->

According to ASMFC documents, the "exceptionally low catch levels observed throughout the program reinforce concerns about the viability of the northern shrimp stock in the Gulf of Maine," even when accounting for rough winter weather. The commission noted that shrimp abundance remained "poor" this year, despite slight improvements in environmental conditions.

When the fishery was active, northern shrimp were a prized winter delicacy, with annual landings sometimes topping 10 million pounds (4,536,000 kilograms). While they were a small part of the country's overall wild-caught shrimp industry, which catches some of the most valuable seafood in the world, the fishery was an important seasonal source of income.

Photo: Northern Shrimp - Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

The collapse accelerated in 2013, when Maine's shrimp catch plummeted to fewer than 600,000 pounds (272,155 kilograms) after exceeding eight times that amount the previous year. Although fishing groups have occasionally lobbied for the shrimping industry to be reopened on a smaller scale, most former shrimp harvesters have since transitioned to other species.

Regulators could potentially consider opening another limited harvest in 2027 or 2028 if certain conditions are met, the commission added.

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