NEW BEDFORD — Too much, too late. That is the verdict from many city scallopers returning from trips to some portions of the recently opened Closed Area 1.
Fishermen are finding much of their dredges filled with larger and older scallops, many of which they simply toss right back into the sea.
Older scallops fetch low prices at the dock, since they assume a gray color and the meat becomes stringy with age, fishermen say.
Some portions of the closed area have been off limits to fishermen since 1994, and that is way too long, the scallopers say.
Capt. Justin Tonnessen returned from a five-day trip to the area Monday aboard the Ambassador. "It's obvious when you cut them. They have a grayish brown look to them that stands out. The price at the dock dropped because of that. I'd heard all the horror stories so I was careful about what I kept."
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