The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Maine Department of Marine Resources are seeking five shrimp trapping vessels to collect northern shrimp samples, beginning January 30, once a week, for eight consecutive weeks. 

Trappers will be allowed to fish up to 40 traps each, hauled as often as necessary during the project, with a 500-pound weekly catch limit per vessel.  Participants will be allowed to land and sell up to 500 pounds of shrimp per week and will deliver two shrimp samples to the DMR laboratory in Boothbay Harbor each week.

The purpose of the project is to collect northern shrimp samples during the winter period when the shrimp are in inshore waters, to collect data on the timing of the egg hatch, and the size, gender, and developmental stage of the shrimp. 

In the winter of 2016, fishermen participate in the study. Read more in Maine shrimp – get 'em while they're hot

Samples will attempt to mimic those that would have been collected if there had been a commercial fishery.

Four vessels will be selected to fish in the Maine Midvoast region, from the Georgetown peninsula (inclusive) to a line drawn from Monhegan Island to Hooper Island (off Port Clyde). 

One vessel will be chosen from Eastern Maine (from the Monhegan Island – Hooper Island line east to the Canadian border). 

A vessel is not expected to cover the entire region; instead applicants should fish on traditional grounds where they would normally fish for shrimp; the fishing locations within the region will be chosen by the captain.  Applicants may apply for more than one region if they have shrimp trapping experience in more than one region, but, if chosen, will be chosen for only one region.  

The captains must have historic experience fishing for northern shrimp in the region(s) for which they apply. 

The vessels must have a current US Coast Guard Fishing Vessel Safety Decal, and captains must be willing to take an observer. 

The gear should be typical northern shrimp traps.  Each vessel will be allowed to fish up to 40 traps.  

The selected vessels and captains may set traps beginning January 30. 

Samples of shrimp must be collected that week and then once a week for a total of eight consecutive weeks.  

Since traps need to be tended and baited, there may be some fishing trips when no samples will be collected.  However, there will be a 500-pound weekly shrimp catch limit per vessel, with no landings allowed after the eighth week, ending on March 26.  All traps must be removed from the water by March 31.  

Once a week, the trapper will collect two 2-kg samples (about 4.5 lbs each).  1-kg samples (or smaller) are acceptable if catches are small.  The samples should be chosen at random (blind) from the day’s catch.  Each sample should be bagged and labeled with name and date.  All additional shrimp catch may be kept or sold, to a limit of 500 lbs per vessel per week.   

For each fishing trip, including those when no samples are collected, the captain must record data for each trap string hauled, including the date, number of traps in the string, GPS coordinates, number of set-over-days, the depth (fa), and an estimate of the number of pounds of shrimp caught.  Captains will be supplied with data sheets by DMR. 

These data will be made public, and will not be confidential.  

The two samples (frozen if not delivered immediately) and the data sheet must be delivered to the DMR laboratory in Boothbay Harbor at a mutually agreed upon time after each sampling trip, before the next sampling trip.   

The selected vessels and captains will be operating under a DMR special license for research.  Data from all shrimp trap hauls must be reported, including those when no samples are collected.  Any violations of the special license terms and conditions will result in an immediate revocation of the special license and ineligibility for any future special licenses or RSA projects.

To qualify, applicants must supply the information listed below, and must have documented landings for shrimp in Midvoast or Eastern Maine in at least two years between 2000 and the ASMFC control date of June 7, 2011.  Applications will be reviewed by Maine Marine Patrol, and marine resource violations will disqualify the applicant.  If there are more than four qualified applicants for the midcoast region or more than one for the eastern region, participants will be picked for each region through random selection (lottery).   

Anyone interested in applying for this project should send a letter or e-mail to Maggie Hunter, DMR PO Box 8 W. Boothbay Harbor ME  04556 or margaret.hunter@maine.gov  

The letter or e-mail should briefly describe:

Your experience trapping shrimp in the Midcoast or eastern region, and any other fishing experience — DMR will confirm your shrimp landings history from 2000-2011 logbook data

Your vessel and gear, including the date of your USCG safety decal 

Your port, the region(s) you are applying for (Midcoast or Eastern), and the specific area(s) in which you will fish 

Your understanding of the project 

Who your buyer(s) might be — buyers must have a DMR shrimp permit or a retail license

Deadline Letters or e-mails must be received by 5 p.m., Monday, December 19.
 
 
Request for Participants: Test Tows for 2017 Cooperative Sampling Program for Northern Shrimp
The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the DMR are also seeking eight Maine shrimp trawling vessels and captains to collect northern shrimp samples in 2017 according to the schedules and locations below, fishing one trip per week for eight consecutive weeks. 

Participants will deliver two shrimp samples to the DMR laboratory in Boothbay Harbor each week, and will be allowed to land and sell up to 1,200 pounds of shrimp per trip. 

There will be no other compensation.   

The purpose of the project is to collect northern shrimp samples during the winter period when the shrimp are in inshore waters, to collect data on the timing of the egg hatch, and the size, gender, and developmental stage of the shrimp.  Samples will attempt to mimic those that would have been collected if there had been a commercial fishery.  The

ASMFC and DMR would also like to collect data on the performance of the compound size-sorting grate.

 Three vessels will be selected to fish in Western Maine (Boon Island to Small Point), three in Midccoast Maine (Small Point to Monhegan Is.), and two in Eastern Maine (Monhegan to the Canadian border). 

The boundary between Midcoast and Eastern Maine is a line drawn from Hooper Island (off Port Clyde) to Monhegan Island and then due south from Monhegan.  A vessel is not expected to cover the entire region; instead applicants should fish on traditional grounds where they would normally fish for shrimp; the fishing locations within the region will be chosen by the captain.  Applicants may apply for more than one region if they have shrimp trawling experience in more than one region, but, if chosen, will be chosen for only one region.

The selected vessels in the Western Maine region will make their first fishing trip during the week of January 16, and then fish once a week for the next seven weeks, for a total of eight trips, ending by March 12. 

Vessels from the Midcoast and Eastern regions will make their first fishing trip during the week of January 30, 2017, and then fish once a week for the next seven weeks, for a total of eight trips, ending by March 26.

The captains must have historic northern shrimp fishing experience in the region(s) for which they apply, and must have documented shrimp landings between 2000 and the ASMFC control date of June 7, 2011.  Vessels must have a current US Coast Guard Fishing Vessel Safety Decal.  Captains must be willing to take an observer.   The gear must be typical, legal (for northern shrimp) trawl gear with a standard Nordmore grate, a compound grate, or a standard Nordmore with a size-sorting grate (double grate system).  Preference will be given to vessels with a compound grate or double grate system. Higher preference will be given to captains willing to participate in a compound grate study.  See below for more details.  

Grate Preference will be given to applicants using a size-sorting grate, designed to reduce catches of small shrimp.  See the attached description of the two acceptable size-sorting grate configurations: 1) a compound grate, or 2) a double grate system.  The purchase and installation of size sorting grates are the sole responsibility of the applicant.     

During each trip, the captain should attempt to fish in locations in which he/she would normally fish for shrimp. Two 2-kg samples (about 4.5 lbs each) should be collected, chosen at random (blind) from the day’s catch.  All other shrimp catch may be kept or sold up to a limit of 1,200 lbs per day. Each sample should be bagged and labeled with the name and date.

For each tow, the captain must record the date, the tow number (1,2,3 etc.), the GPS coordinates of the tow, the tow start time, the tow duration (hours and minutes), the depth (fathoms), a description of the size-sorting grate if any, and an estimate of the number of pounds of shrimp caught.  Captains will be supplied with data sheets by DMR.  These data will be made public, and will not be confidential.  

Samples (frozen if not delivered immediately) and data sheets must be delivered to the DMR Boothbay Harbor laboratory at a mutually agreed upon time, before the next fishing trip.   

The selected vessels and captains will be operating under a DMR special license for research.  Data from all shrimp tows must be reported.  Any violations of the special license terms and conditions will result in an immediate revocation of the special license and ineligibility for any future special licenses or RSA projects.

To qualify, applicants must supply the information listed below.  If there are more than three qualified applicants per region (two for eastern), the applicants will be picked through random selection (lottery).  Applicants may apply for more than one region, but, if chosen, will be chosen to fish in only one region.  Applicants must have documented landings for at least two years between 2000 and 2011 (but see exception below). 

DMR staff will confirm landings history from our logbook database.   Applications will be reviewed by Maine Marine Patrol, and marine resource violations will disqualify applicants. See below for selection preference for applicants who will participate in a grate evaluation study, or who will use a compound grate or double grate system.
To Apply  Anyone interested in applying for this project should send a letter or e-mail to:
Maggie Hunter, DMR PO Box 8 W. Boothbay Harbor ME  04556 or margaret.hunter@maine.gov
 
Your letter or e-mail should briefly describe:
 Your experience fishing for shrimp in the region for which you are applying, and any other fishing experience — DMR will confirm your shrimp landings history from 20002011 logbook data.  If you shrimped during this period but the landings were reported by someone else, please provide details of the years, vessel name, and license holder who reported.

Your vessel and gear, including the date of your USCG safety decal, and your willingness to have an observer on board.

The region(s) (Western ME, MidCoast ME, or Eastern ME) for which you are applying, and the general location(s) within that region in which you would fish. 

Your plan for avoiding fixed gear.

Your understanding of the project’s purpose.

Who your buyer(s) might be — buyers must have a DMR shrimp permit or a retail license.

Size-sorting grate options (please choose one): 1. You are willing to participate in a study of the compound grate.  Such a study might involve fishing alongside another boat with one boat using the compound grate and the other boat using the standard Nordmore for the first trip, and then both boats switching their grates between compound and Nordmore for the next trip and so on, switching before each trip.  Or you might fish alone, using the compound grate one week and the standard Nordmore the next week, and so on, switching before each trip. 

Applicants willing to participate in such a study are responsible for supplying a compound grate according to the attached specifications, and will get the highest preference in the selection process, but will have to do more work. 2. You agree to use either a compound grate or a double grate throughout the project.  You are responsible for supplying and installing the grate, according to the attached specifications.  Applicants willing to use one of these sizesorting grates will get the second highest preference in the selection process. 3. You will not be using a compound or double grate. 

Applicants with no sizesorting grate will use their standard Nordmore grate and will get the lowest preference in the selection process.

 Letters or e-mails must be received by 5 p.m., Monday, December 19.