The future of the Maine shrimp fishery is again up for debate, as a regulatory board will consider a new assessment of the health of the shrimp population.
The shrimp fishery has been shut down for several years because the crustaceans have struggled with poor survival of young and warming waters. An arm of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will meet on Thursday in Portland to talk about how the fishery could be managed in the future.
Prospects for the future do not look much brighter. An assessment of the shrimp stock describes it as "depleted." The regulatory board will make a decision about whether the fishery can be reopened in 2019 next month.
Maine shrimp were previously a popular winter seafood item but are unavailable to consumers now.
