SWANSEA — January 23, 2013 — The Board of Selectmen voted 2-1 to approve amendments to the rules and regulations for shellfishing during its meeting held last Tuesday evening at the School Administration Building.
Chairman Scott Ventura and board member Kenneth Furtado voted to approve the amendments brought by Shellfish Warden Sgt. Daniel Lowney while Robert Marquis opposed. Mr. Marquis sought to alter the new regulations by deleting the paragraph that would change the amount of large clams taken beginning July 1.
Chairman Ventura and Mr. Furtado agreed with the new limits for commercial fishermen restricting them to two bushels of little necks and four bushels of bulls per day and beginning July 1, the amount of bulls would be limited to three bushels for the remainder of the season.
In addition, approximately 70 more acres would be opened up to shellfishing north of Route 103 at the Lees and Coles rivers.
The commercial fishermen had been permitted to take three bushels of little necks and five bushels of bulls prior to the new regulations.
Sgt. Lowney also pointed out that the catch would be tagged while it was still in the bushel basket before it goes into the bag.
The shellfish warden was joined by Greg Sawyer of the Division of Marine Fisheries, who supported Sgt. Lowney's recommendations. The shellfish warden noted that the changes were being put into place so the fishing areas would not be depleted to the point that they fail to grow.
Read the full story at the Somerset-Swansea Spectator