ELLSWORTH, Maine (AP) Maine scallop fishermen would be allowed to harvest the same amount of the shellfish per day under a proposal floated by state regulators.
The state’s scallop season takes place every winter in the state’s icy waters. The Maine Department of Marine Resources is proposing a 2018-19 fishing season in which fishermen in most of Maine would be limited to 15 gallons per day. Fishermen in a zone that includes scallop-rich Cobscook Bay would be limited to 10 gallons per day.
The proposal also includes localized closures. It’s up for public hearings next month in Augusta, Machias, and Ellsworth.
State regulators describe Maine’s scallop fishery as a success story of conservative management. Fishermen harvested only 33,141 pounds in 2005, but the fishery has rebuilt to hundreds of thousands of pounds per year.
