Maine Shrimp Fishing Ban Extended Amid Warming Water Fear
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Fishing regulators say they will extend a moratorium on fishing for Maine shrimp into next year.
Fishermen haven't been able to catch the shrimp since 2013. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Northern Shrimp Section met on Monday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and decided that will continue.
The commission's Northern Shrimp Technical Committee says prospects for shrimp recovery are poor for the near future. It asked the Northern Shrimp Section to extend the two-year-old moratorium.
A report issued by the technical committee says warming New England waters will create an "increasingly inhospitable" environment for the shrimp.
The shrimp were previously sought by commercial fishermen from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts and were a popular winter item at fish markets.
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