Shrimp are a crustacean that thrive in the colder waters of the North Atlantic. Northern shrimp can grow to 15 cm and live for 8 years. They are the biggest members of one of the largest fisheries in the world and are studied extensively. Harvesting strategies have been conservative or “precautionary”. Shrimp populations exploded in the early 1990’s when groundfish stocks collapsed and when water temperatures were colder. Northern shrimp sit in the middle of Atlantic Canada’s food web, between the plankton it eats, and the predators like cod and other commercial finfish that eat it. Shrimp are sensitive to water temperatures, plankton blooms and other changes in the ecosystem.