By Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Maine - Scientists are recommending a second straight shutdown of the northern shrimp season in the Gulf of Maine amid concerns of warming ocean temperatures.
A technical committee that advises federal regulators strongly recommends extending a moratorium that began in 2014. A draft of the committee's report says "long-term trends in environmental conditions'' are unfavorable for the shrimp. The report pins the decline of the cold-water shrimp on rising ocean temperatures.
Fishermen from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts fish for the small, pinkish, succulent shrimp.
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission closed the shrimp season for 2014 for the first time in more than 30 years and is set to vote on next year's season on Nov. 5.