Regulators considering whether Maine's shrimp fishery will have a season in 2015

Federal regulators are gathering findings to determine if there will be a commercial season for the Gulf of Maine's northern shrimp next year.

Regulators closed the shrimp season for 2014 for the first time in more than 30 years because shrimp populations dipped to their lowest recorded levels. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's Northern Shrimp Technical Committee is meeting in Portland on Wednesday to update the status of the shrimp stock. The technical committee's findings will be the basis for regulators' decision about next year's season.

The commission's Northern Shrimp Section will meet Nov. 5 to set specifications for the 2015 season. The fishery could also reopen with new restrictions.

Northern shrimp are small, pinkish shrimp that are prized by restaurateurs and markets for their tender meat.