by Lindy Moceus
Vienna
I don’t know about you, but I really miss Maine shrimp. They used to be a real treat at our house. On a cold winter night nothing could beat a supper of boiled shrimp dripping with melted butter. On the way home from work you could buy shrimp off the truck on the corner sometimes for a dollar a pound.
Sadly, it looks like those days are gone.
In a recent press release, the Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission (ASMFC) announced that commercial shrimping in Northern New England will not be allowed for the 2018 winter season. This will make five years in a row of shrimp fishing moratoriums due to the severe depletion of northern shrimp (A.K.A. Maine shrimp) populations in the Gulf of Maine. They stated that ocean temperatures in the Gulf of Maine have increased and reached unprecedented highs in the last decade with temperatures expected to continue to rise due to climate change. This is creating an increasingly difficult environment for northern shrimp. The 2017 Stock Status Report indicates that northern shrimp abundance and biomass are the lowest in 34 years. The shrimp stock is considered to be in poor condition with limited prospects for the near future.
You may have heard on the news that scientists have determined that the Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest warming bodies of water in the world. Studies show that the duration of summer conditions in the gulf are now 66 days longer than 3 decades ago! Gulf summer conditions begin about a month earlier in the spring and last a month longer in the fall and that’s increasing by 2 days a year. Northern shrimp are adapted to a cold water environment and are having trouble surviving all the changes (in food supply, etc.) that are coming about due to the warming water.
So, no Maine shrimp this winter and maybe not in the future. How does a Maine shrimp lover adapt to something like this? Well, even under the moratoriums, the ASMFC shrimp research set-aside program provided a source of Maine shrimp for a few lucky folks. (Though, I didn’t see any around here.) Those few fishermen who did the fishing for this program got to sell most of their catch. The 2018 allowance is 13.3 metric tons (29,321 pounds), but unfortunately this year, none of that is allowed to be sold. (This may sound like a lot of shrimp to some, but it is not much compared to the commercial harvests during the heyday years of Maine shrimping.
The top shrimp harvest year was 1969 with 12,824.3 metric tons or 28,272,744 pounds of shrimp!) There should be some Canadian shrimp coming into Maine for sale in a couple of weeks, however. Same species as Maine shrimp, but you can expect to pay over $10/pound. The local stores have all kinds of shrimp for as low as $8/pound, but look at the country of origin on the packages. These are from shrimp farms in Indonesia, India, Thailand, etc. Thanks, but no thanks. (Do some research on these farms before you dig in.) I saw some Louisiana shrimp in the store for $11/pound. At least it‘s domestic and wild caught.
So, if you are craving Maine shrimp, it appears the only choice is a not-so-cheap substitute. And, regardless how much you pay, none will come close to the freshness, purity, and flavor of our beloved Maine shrimp.
It’s sad, all the victims of climate change here; the innocent shrimp who are struggling to survive in their rapidly changing environment, the shrimp fishermen who lost their winter livelihood, and all the Maine shrimp lovers who have lost a tasty Maine tradition. Too bad it had to come to this.
Sadly Lindy, you’re absolutely right, the days of “dollar a pound” anything edible are gone forever. The least of all are the poor over-fished, globally warmed and under valued Maine shrimp. They were always an early “delicacy” in our house, saved for Christmas eve supper after church as one of the “7 fishes” and drenched in butter as well, they never would disappoint. They were also a popular unique menu item that I’d stock up on to be able to offer to the summer travelers who were surprised at their rich flavor not to mention even their existence. I’d point you instead to the bounty of amazing locally grown & farm raised produce, dairy products, poultry and meat available now that was in short supply only a few years ago. While none of it is available for “dollar a pound” it’s purity, flavor, richness and honesty hearkens back to that of the shrimp you so cherished and is still to be found from a truck on the corner on your way home.
Lindy, the best of luck in trying to wake up a selfish, very non-caring society that has just about completed the ruination of a once beautiful place to inhabit, “our Mother Earth.” It is all “about me”, “Gimme Gimme Gimme”, the bad old SOB known as “GREED.” Five pounds for a dollar, shrimp stew, or with butter, your choice. Nope, I know about some of that shrimp you allude to, feeding at the mouth and up into the rivers, and feeding on who knows what that’s dumped into those rivers! SAD the 20 cents a pound, the shrimp stew, and freshly cooked Maine shrimp slathered in butter , those days are probably gone forever. Too bad those coming behind us won’t get a taste.
Might as well eat lobster
Horse Manure……The problem with Maine Shrimp as with most everything else in the commercial fishing industry is OVERFISHING a.k.a. GREED
The Key West Pinks are very nice… I plan to have some this evening…
To Skeptical…..I agree that over fishing was a problem in the past, but for many years the Commission has set annual catch limits. There is no question that the Gulf of Maine has warmed up and continues to do so. Studies have found that northern shrimp are very temperature sensitive and thrive only in cold water. The Gulf is the most southern end of their range in the north Atlantic. But, even areas far north of here are showing declines in their numbers. On the ASMFC website it is stated that stocks in Greenland, Flemish Cap, and the Grand Banks have also seen decreases and that this is evidence that environmental conditions are having an impact on northern shrimp across their range. Another report, put out by the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game states that the Gulf of Alaska has also seen declines in northern shrimp populations. They specifically rule out overfishing as a factor and attribute the decreases to significant warming of Gulf of Alaska waters.
Are the annual catch limits in those areas (Greenland, Flemish Cap, and the Grand Banks)?
To Maineiac……if you check the internet on those 3 locations you will find all kinds of info on the history of fishing for shrimp and other species. They all have TAC (Total Allowable Catch) limits. Some areas were over fished years ago and have still not rebound. There are many factors at play.