Opposite coasts, opposite situations. While the Pacific Northwest pink shrimp (Pandalus jordani) fishery just turned in one of its more productive seasons on record, the New England pink shrimp fishery (P. borealis) fishery is bracing for an abbreviated season.
First, the bad news. In late October, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission set a target of 2,000 metric tons for New England’s 2011 shrimp fishery, half of the 2010 target. For the past two seasons, the fishery has been closed prematurely because fishermen exceeded the target. This time around, the goal is to stretch out the season while reducing the catch.
Part of the problem is there are too many fishermen chasing too few shrimp. In Maine, where the bulk of the catch is landed, 456 commercial shrimp licenses were sold for the 2010 season, up from 335 the previous season.
This season’s fishery is set to open on 2 January, with fishing on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, and regulators will reassess the season on Jan. 18 before trap fishermen start fishing seven days a week on 1 February.
Now, the good news. According to the Oregon Trawl Commission, Oregon’s 2011 shrimp fishery, which ran from April to October, was among the best ever, likely in the top five in terms of landings. The fishery is clearly on the upswing, as 2010 landings reached 31.4 million pounds, up 9.3 million pounds from 2009 and the highest total since 2002’s 41.5 million pounds. Oregon accounts for the bulk of the Pacific Northwest shrimp harvest.
Also, prices are up from a year ago, with fishermen reeling in an average of 51 cents a pound in 2011, a 50 percent increase over 2010.
As for Canada, the United States’ other main source of coldwater shrimp, there isn’t as much product coming in this year. Through the first nine months of 2011, U.S. shrimp imports from Canada were down 5.8 percent, to 4.1 million pounds. Last year, they totaled about 6 million pounds.
And prices are up. In early November, P. borealis from Atlantic Canada was pulling in 40 cents a pound or more than a year ago, with 250-350s quoted in the high-USD 4 to low-USD 5 range, 175-250s in the low- to mid-USD 5 range, 150-250s in the mid-USD 5 range and 125-175s in the high-USD 5 to low-USD 6 range
