PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire — Interstate fishing regulators say they will meet next month to decide whether there will be a fishing season for Maine shrimp next year, and the prospects are bleak.

The fishery is shut down over concerns about the low shrimp population. Fishermen haven’t been able to catch shrimp since 2013. A panel of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission will make a decision about the coming season on Dec. 7 in Portsmouth.

The fishery was a popular winter fishery for fishermen who spent the warmer months trapping lobsters. Maine fishermen caught more than 10 million pounds of shrimp as recently as 2011. Shrimp have since disappeared from fish markets and restaurants.

Fishermen from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts participated in the fishery when it was open.


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