SEABROOK — The success of the current shrimp-catching season could lead to its premature end if fishery officials decide to shut it down a month and a half before it was slated to end.
Bob Campbell, manager of Yankee Fisherman's Cooperative, said after the first emergency conference call by commissioners from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council yesterday to discuss the issue, the group will hold a second call on Thursday or Friday to decide if they will shut down shrimping season before its original mid-April deadline.
Campbell said the shrimp season had been scheduled to run 136 days, from Dec. 1 to April 15, with a "soft Total Allowable Catch" figure of 4,000 metric tons. The classification of "soft" was an important factor because it meant the catch limit figure was considered more flexible than it would have been if it were announced as "hard," Campbell said.
The plan had been to review landing data on Feb. 28 to determine if an adjustment needed to be made.
But with the shrimp population so abundant this year and fishermen enjoying prosperous outings, when ASMF officials started to total the figures, they began to take notice early and could order the shutdown before Feb. 28.
"We've had good (shrimp) landings; it's been pretty steady fishing whenever Mother Nature allowed our guys to go out," Campbell said. "We already landed as much shrimp as we did the whole of last season, and last year the shrimp season ended on May 1."
The pink shrimp caught off the New England coast are known as Northern shrimp; they are much smaller than their cousins from the Gulf of Mexico and generally less expensive. They come close to the shore in the winter to spawn.
Campbell said the large landings indicate that the shrimp population is not dwindling.
"The shrimp are plentiful," he said. "If there weren't shrimp out there, there wouldn't be such good landings, no matter how many times you cast your net."
The early end of shrimping could once again hurt the 400-year-old fishing industry and its fishermen, who have already taken their most recent financial hit when government regulations reduced the amount of groundfish, such as cod, haddock and flounder, they could land this year.
Many of those whose incomes were reduced by the new groundfish limits took to shrimping this year in order to make up for the loss of income, Campbell said.
"We usually have four or five boats shrimping," Campbell said. "This year, we have about double that. A lot of groundfishermen who usually sat out the shrimp season decided to go out shrimping this year to compensate for the loss of income they'll have as a result of the new ground fish limits."
Campbell said when the new groundfish limits were imposed, government officials warned the commercial fishermen they could lose as much as 50 percent of their groundfish-related income.
"They weren't far off; everyone's groundfish revenue was off so much they needed the shrimp revenue to offset the loss," Campbell said. "Now that will be limited, too."
Campbell said that at yesterday's call, ASMF commissioners from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts offered their opinions on when to halt the season. Maine's commissioner wanted to extend the season until the end of February, New Hampshire's wanted an earlier closing, and the commissioner from Massachusetts discussed a closing late in the month, Campbell said.
More catch/landing data will be available at the next conference call, providing more up-to-date information, Campbell said. In addition, the next call will be considered a public hearing with ASMF, allowing people to call in with comments, something that didn't happen yesterday.
Although an early end to the shrimp season will impact fishermen the most, shrimp-lovers who signed up for Yankee Fisherman's Cooperative's second winter Community Supported Fishery eight-week shrimp-share program may also be affected. Those involved in the shrimp CSF program agreed to purchase a weekly share (from 5 to 10 pounds) of shrimp directly from fishermen for a discounted rate. Planned to run until Feb. 28, the program could end prior to that if the ASMF commissioners decide to close the season earlier.
"We had a good subscription to the CSF shrimp shares program this year, almost as many as (the 150 subscribers) last year," he said. "We had about 120 people sign up, most of them new to the program, and it's been great."
Campbell said if the season is shortened to before Feb. 28, Yankee Fisherman's Cooperative will work out a way to fulfill its commitment with its subscribers.
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