MIDCOAST—Coming up in February, Midcoast Mainers will see their favorite Maine shrimp on the market again—for a very short time.

Only seven fishermen were chosen out of 40 applicants to participate in a Winter Sampling Research Program for Northern shrimp and will be allowed to catch 58,000 pounds of Maine shrimp for the first time in more than a decade. Shrimpers will collect samples by either trawling and trapping in one of three regions of the Maine coast: Western Maine (Kittery to Phippsburg), Midcoast Maine (Phippsburg to Owls Head), or Eastern Maine (east of Owls Head). 

In contrast, when the fishery was forced to close due to a stock collapse in 2013, more than 10 million pounds were caught. At that time, the average price per pound was $1.81.

This is driving up a supply and demand frenzy for Northern Maine shrimp, which has not been seen before in Maine.

All but one fisherman chosen to catch Maine shrimp are located in the Midcoast.

Two Midcoast markets, Delano Seafood Market in Waldoboro and Port Clyde Fresh Catch, have announced they will be selling shrimp on a temporary basis—and people are lining up out the door.

Kendall Delano Jr., owner of Delano Seafood Market, had a direct connection to two of the seven chosen fishermen, having been a Maine shrimp peddler himself since the age of 15. He said while many people are clamoring to get the shrimp, others are complaining about the price per pound.

"I was a fisherman for 30 years, and in the winter, I used to peddle shrimp from six different boats out of the back of my pickup truck in Rockland," he said. "It was always about $1.50 a pound back then, but it just can't be that price this time. With only seven fishermen, what they ask for in a boat price is what we've got to give them. What I tell people now is that fuel has gone up, boat parts have doubled, and everything we buy in seafood costs more. And this year, fishermen can name their price because everybody wants it."

Delano said that picked shrimp meat used to be $5-6 per pound, but now that price will likely be around $45 per pound for picked shrimp and anywhere from $12 to $20 per pound for shrimp in the shell, which is on par with the rising prices of crabmeat and lobster.

"It's going to be really hard for seafood markets to get any," he said, adding that he was lucky because he had a personal connection. "The guy I've always bought shrimp from as a peddler got the permit this year. And I know another dragger in this area, so we'll get them as long as possible."

Fishermen can only fish one day out of the week during the trial period. Trappers can only catch 500 pounds and draggers may catch 1,200 pounds, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

Delano said he doesn't know what day of the week the fishermen will start trapping and trawling in February as it is weather-dependent, but he knows one thing for sure: the line out of the door will be long.

"We're taking pre-orders now for both in the shell and picked shrimp and limiting it to 10 pounds per customer," he said. "Last time shrimp were available, our doors opened at 9 a.m., and people were lined up at the door waiting at 7 a.m. The lines were literally from my front door to the road."

Delano said the nostalgia around the taste of Maine shrimp is what is driving the demand. "There's nothing better than just boiling fresh shrimp in the shell and eating them right from the shell," he said. "It's just like eating lobster." 

Glen Libby, owner of Port Clyde Fresh Catch, also has a great connection—his son was one of the chosen applicants.

Port Clyde Fresh Catch will offer whole shrimp and picked shrimp for $45 per pound. Libby stated that this experimental fishing period is for research, and it is entirely self-funded by the fishermen chosen to volunteer. "It's a real risk," he said. "The guys are going out there alone and doing this on their own dime."

Port Clyde Fresh Catch primarily processes crab and fish, but will take on the picked shrimp orders for several reasons. "At $45 per pound to the customer, which is $12 per pound to the boat, we're not making a whole lot here," he said. "I'm basically doing it so my employees will have extra work. We've had comments, 'Oh, you're price gouging,' but I'm happy to have someone come down here any time and I'll show them the math."

The other point Libby wanted to stress is that buying Maine shrimp not only supports the livelihood of these seven fishermen doing important work for the state but also goes toward collecting data that could possibly re-open the fishery.

Though Libby views the shrimp fishery as mismanaged over the years, he hopes that if the research experiment is successful, it will be enough to provide the DMR with solid data.

"There's a common narrative that the Gulf of Maine is warming, but according to DMR data it is as cold as it was 10 to 12 years ago," he said. "That bodes well for a recovery of the shrimp fishery."

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com