New England’s shrimp industry continues to face challenges as fishermen have reported low catches in 2025. The region has been under a moratorium on shrimp fishing for more than ten years due to declining populations, which scientists link to climate change and rising ocean temperatures.
This past winter, harvesters were permitted to catch a limited number of shrimp through an industry-funded sampling and data collection program. However, the results were disappointing, with few shrimp caught. Recent regulatory changes now allow authorities to extend the moratorium for up to five years at a time instead of just one.
Chelsea Tuohy, fishery management plan coordinator with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, stated that regulators will meet in December to decide whether the moratorium should be extended. Tuohy added that regulators may “consider another winter sampling program.”
The commission noted earlier this year that the outlook remains uncertain: “continued poor condition of the northern shrimp stock has resulted in uncertainties in the future status of” the seafood.
The commission also commented on environmental factors: “Environmental conditions continue to be unfavorable for northern shrimp in the Gulf of Maine.”
Before the moratorium was put in place, Maine was home to much of New England’s shrimp fishing industry, though fishermen from Massachusetts and New Hampshire also participated. Northern shrimp were considered a seasonal delicacy and were among New England’s well-known seafood products alongside lobsters, cod, and scallops. In some years during the early 2010s, Maine fishermen caught over 10 million pounds (4,536 kilograms) of shrimp annually until catches sharply declined after 2013.
