Tag Archives: bay scallop
In the Peconic Estuary, A Perfect Storm Hits Bay Scallops
Warming water temperatures, hypoxia (a deficiency in oxygen), ocean acidification, and harmful algal blooms, said Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, are each a stressor to the bivalve and local delicacy. The occurrence of more than one at one time, he said, may be responsible for the die-off (may be) ,,, The bay scallop fishery is “notorious for booms and busts,” Stephen Tettelbach, >click to read< 08:04
Bay Scallop Season Begins With Bumper Crop in Lagoon Pond
Bay scallop season has arrived, and while most of the Island is reporting an average or down year on the ponds, there is cautious excitement in Tisbury, where fishermen are pulling up a bumper crop of scallops in the Lagoon Pond. Last year, Tisbury harvested just 14 bushels of scallops before shellfish constable Danielle Ewart closed the Lagoon. One year later, when the Lagoon opened to recreational fishermen on a beautiful morning this past Saturday, scallopers brought in approximately three times that amount in a single day. Photo’s, >click to read< 11:28
Are scalloping’s days numbered on Nantucket?
Nantucket bay scalloping is a dying profession, town shellfish constable J.C. Johnson said this week, just days after commercial scalloping season came to a close. Fishermen brought in 13,000 bushels of scallops last season. That number was down by 10,000 bushels this year to around 3,000, making the season’s harvest one of the lowest ever, Johnson said. Along with the decreased harvest size, the fleet itself is aging, with only a handful of young scallopers now fishing. “We have a couple younger guys going out, but your veteran guys, Bill Spencer, Herkey Stojak, all those guys who have been scalloping for years are almost done, so what’s going to happen if you don’t have their kids following suit?” he asked. “Guys that scallop to the end are your veterans, your die-hards, guys who are out there. That’s their business,” he said. >click to read<15:49
Scarce bay scallops are costly
Last year the Vineyard bay scallop harvest boomed. Prices hovered around $20 per pound. Not so this year. Bay scallops are scant, and at Menemsha Fish Market they were retailing at $38 per pound on Monday. “Nobody went out today,” Larsen said Monday morning, “nice day, too — because there’s no scallops.” Until recently, bay scallops were $35 per pound at the Net Result in Vineyard Haven. As of Monday, they hovered at $30 per pound, which still ranked as the second most expensive seafood there after fresh lobster meat, at $50 per pound. >click to read<19:32
The Milford Laboratory is trying to bring back bay scallops
The population of bay scallops, a smaller relative of sea scallops, has been dwindling in U.S. waters for decades. The Milford Laboratory is trying to bring them back by breeding the shellfish that are most likely to survive and reproduce in the wild. Scientists don’t know precisely what caused bay scallops to die off, Dr. Stiles said. Contributing factors could be overfishing, pollution and the demise of eelgrass, an underwater plant that provided bay scallops protection from predators, she said. Read the rest here 07:24
Great Peconic Bay – 2015: The Year of Local Scallops
This year’s bay scallop season has been amazingly abundant. The scallops have been especially large, with delicate sweet flesh. Many baymen have been catching their limit in just a few hours, with some fish markets putting out a call for extra shuckers just to keep up. Our waters are under great pressure from the nitrogen loading, road run-off and too many poorly maintained septic systems, which has contributed to the collapse of eelgrass that hosts scallops. This year’s harvest seems to run contrary to those impediments. So what has happened? Read the rest here 14:59
Banner Scallop Year in Aquinnah Comes to Close
The Aquinnah bay scallop season ends Friday, marking what is believed to be the latest date for a bay scallop season closing in the commonwealth. The scallop season usually runs from fall until the last day of March, but Aquinnah shellfish constable Brian (Chip) Vanderhoop said unusual circumstances led to the extension of the fishery this year. continued@vineyardgazette
