April 17, 2015 — US scallop boats are still limited in their fishing as they await the new framework rules, but initial landings suggest there are very few of the largest sizes to be had, and more 20/30s than have been seen in years.
Until the new framework is signed off, fishing vessels out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, have just 17 fishing days between them – so are cautiously using perhaps one each up until May 15, Terry Molloy, general manager of Chesapeake Bay Packing, told Undercurrent News.
“This has been something of a barometer for how the open area fishing days in the mid Atlantic might look; what is apparent is that supplies of the largest scallops, the U10s and U12s, will be very tight this year,” he said.
“The main sizes being landed are 10/20s and 20/30s – the latter of which we're seeing more than we have for years.”
This supports views from top executives with Eastern Fisheries and Oceans Fleet Fisheries, who told Undercurrent News in February that the scallop sizes would be smaller.
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