Tag Archives: fewer fishermen
With More Scallops But Fewer Fishermen, Select Board Raises Bushel Limit For Commercial Fleet
There are more adult scallops in Nantucket Harbor than at any time since 2012, according to the town’s Natural Resources Department. That year, the island’s commercial fleet harvested more than 18,000 bushels, far beyond what fishermen have caught in recent years. That should be good news. But the problem is that today, there are approximately 75 percent fewer fishermen out on the water scalloping. So, on Wednesday, acting on a recommendation from the Harbor & Shellfish Advisory Board, the members of the Select Board voted unanimously to increase the bay scallop bushel limit for commercial scallopers from five bushels to six bushels per commercial license for the remainder of the 2024-2025 bay scallop season. “The amount of adults in the harbor this year from our surveys is equivalent to what we had in 2012,” said Tara Riley, the town’s shellfish and aquatic resource manager. “In 2012, we had around 200 permits with around 97 people actively fishing, and we pulled out around 18,000 bushels. Right now, we have 25 boats going. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:57
The End? Dwindling catch puts future of Portland Fish Exchange in jeopardy
The auction provides space on the Portland Fish Pier for fisherman to bring their haul and for seafood buyers to bid on the fresh catch. But it has struggled in recent years as fishermen are landing fewer fish. And they often take what they do catch to Massachusetts, which has robust seafood markets. The goal has been to support and maintain Portland’s fishing fleet, but a dwindling catch has made that more difficult and the auction struggles to fill its four times weekly sales of seafood. Rob Odlin, a fisherman who is president of the Portland Fish Exchange board, said fishermen are struggling and many are opting to take their catch to Massachusetts to sell to take advantage of more lucrative lobster sales. >click to read< 10:20
