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
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.