Maine shrimp traps will be gathering nothing but snow this season with the news that the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted for the first time in 20 years to close the Gulf of Maine shrimp fishery.
The fishermen who rely on the fishery for a third to half of their yearly income should be able to get government financial aid. If anyone deserves it, they do. The preliminary value for the 2013 season was pegged at USD 1.2 million.
While the goal of any fishery management plan is to ensure that the fishery is sustainable, the Gulf of Maine shrimp fishery complexities can make that difficult when the model used to set the quota needs improvement. The Northern shrimp fishery 2013 quota was set at what was thought to be a sustainable fishing mortality rate — and regardless, the fishermen still caught less than the total allowable catch — but it was learned retroactively that the season had a fishing mortality rate above the target and threshold that was defined by the ASMFC Northern Shrimp Technical Committee.
Combine that with uncontrollable environmental factors — namely warming ocean temperatures — and it’s the perfect storm for a fishery collapse.
It’s too soon to say if any aid will be given to the shrimpers, although according to a representative from the Maine Department of Marine Resources, Maine’s congressional delegation has reached out to see if there is anything that can be done to help the fishermen. The ideal would be that a federal fishery disaster will be declared.
“Given how the federal budget is right now, there’s no kind of guarantee around receiving that money,” the representative said.
Still, many of the fishermen have a positive outlook. Many said the closure was no surprise, and they even welcome it if it means a stronger fishery in the future, but that doesn’t make the financial loss any easier.
Even if the fishery reopens after only one year of closure, the shrimpers will still face an uphill battle. The previous closure resulted in forced lower prices to win customers back, and extra time and money will need to be spent on marketing and product development.
With any luck, recruitment will be back up and Maine shrimp will return to menus next year. In the meantime, though, the state’s fishermen will need aid and eventually, help to reestablish the industry.
