PORTLAND, Maine — A shrimp research project in Maine this year will not yield extra shrimp for the public to buy as it has in the past.
The New England shrimp fishery has been shut down since 2013 because of a lack of shrimp reaching maturity. But fishermen from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts have typically participated in a sampling project that has provided a small amount of shrimp to seafood markets.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources say this year it will pay a shrimp trawler up to $3,450 to collect samples in the mid-coast area starting in late January. The department says no shrimp can be kept or sold this year.
The state’s taking applications from fishermen until Wednesday.