LOCAL FISHERMAN DONNIE FREEMAN of Bailey Island — and all other shrimp fishermen — closed out their season on Friday. The season was cut short because fishermen exceeded the catch limit early. According to an Associated Press report, fishermen this year were allowed to harvest 4.9 million pounds of shrimp. In a conference call Wednesday, regulators from Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire sitting on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s shrimp-regulating panel said they had to shut down the fishery or risk harming the shrimp population and forcing strict regulations next year. By the time the final shrimp catch is tallied, the harvest will likely total between 5.5 million and more than 6 million pounds, Dennis Abbott, who represents New Hampshire on the panel, told the Associated Press. Gary Libby of Port Clyde said fishermen like him were expecting this season to last at least through February, especially when they’re seeing a good amount of shrimp. Shrimp provide a small but valuable fishery for hundreds of New England fishermen. The fleet this year comprised 225 boats from Maine and 31 from New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The AP reports that last year’s haul was 13.3 million pounds.