Though most towns in Massachusetts officially close the bay scallop season at the end of next week, Edgartown shellfishermen can keep going in what has been a banner season for them. With an abundance of bay scallops still out there, on Monday the Edgartown selectmen voted to add another month to the season.
“This season is the best in a while,” said Paul Bagnall, Edgartown shellfish constable. “It hasn’t been this good since the 1990s.
“The down side,” he added, “is the price paid to the fishermen.”
Edgartown commercial and recreational fishermen landed over 8,000 bushels of bay scallops last year, most of it from Cape Pogue Pond. The bay scallop season runs from November through March; shellfish constables make their assessments on a calendar year from January to December. Most of those 8,000 bushels were landed in October through December.
The bay scallop fishery is the Vineyard’s traditional off-season industry and a number of Island residents depend on it.
Read the complete story at Vineyard Gazette Online.