Restrictions could help Maine scallop fishery as rebuilding continues

Trisha Cheney, the state’s marine resource management coordinator, said the scallops need additional protections along the state’s southern coast, which has lagged in rebuilding, to protect the future of the fishery in that area. The state wants to close some spots to fishing and reduce the number of fishing days from 70 to 60 in the southern area for the upcoming season, which runs December to April. Portland-based scallop fisherman Alex Todd said he supports the new restrictions. Fishing pressure on scallops has been up in recent years because the price has been high, he said. Read the rest here 13:44

One Response to Restrictions could help Maine scallop fishery as rebuilding continues

  1. jmknbsc . says:

    JMK comment to ME scallop restrictions Oct. 2, 2015 @ Portland Press Herald

    How can the scallop fishery only be credited with a value of
    $7.4 million with landings of 4.9 million pounds? The dockside value of
    scallops has been above at least $10 a pound here in New Bedford for years,
    & I seriously doubt that they can be getting less than $2 a pound for their
    scallops! The Maine scallop fishery must be worth much more that is reported
    here, & any loss will have a much larger impact than expected.

    With that
    being said, a good management plan is vital, but another point is; the Gulf of
    Maine scallop resource has always been noted for extreme fluctuations, & a
    good management plan must take that into consideration.

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