Saving Seafood

MAINE: Ruling soon on how many scallops Mainers can catch this year

October 18th, 2016 — State regulators will make a decision soon about the scope of this year’s Maine scallop fishing season.

Maine scallops are popular in the seafood world because of how big and meaty some of them grow. The scallop fishery has been relatively stable in recent years, with prices high and volume of catch holding around 300,000 to 600,000 pounds of meat per year.

The state has proposed that fishermen be allowed to catch about the same amount of scallops this coming winter as they did in the previous fishing year. The state also wants to close several scallop fishing areas, including the Sheepscot River and Muscongus Bay.

The proposal was the subject of public hearings, and public comment closed on Oct. 12.

 The fishing season runs December to April.

 Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald 

Maine putting scallop fishing rules in front of harvesters

September 14, 2016 — MACHIAS, Maine — Maine fishing regulators are asking scallop fishermen to comment on the state’s planned rules for the upcoming harvesting season.

The state is proposing that fishermen be allowed to catch about the same amount of scallops this coming winter as they did this past year. The state is also proposing closures of several scallop fishing areas, including the Sheepscot River and Muscongus Bay.

The state Department of Marine Resources is holding a public hearing on the plans on Wednesday in Machias. Another is scheduled for Wiscasset on Sept. 19. The department also held a hearing in Ellsworth on Monday night.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at The Daily Progress