April 21, 2025 — On Monday, April 21, the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) scallop fishery officially reopened with a higher annual quota of 675,563 pounds, part of NOAA Fisheries’ finalized Framework 39 for the 2025 fishing year.
For scallopers from Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire — many of whom have been working the spring season since April 1 — this reopening brings renewed opportunity, especially as project landings are expected to reach 18 million pounds across the broader Atlantic sea scallop fishery. The final rule, published April 18, introduces several changes aimed at maximizing yield and reducing bycatch, including a delayed opening of key access areas until May 15, and new seasonal closures in the Nantucket Lightship and Elephant Trunk areas to protect juvenile scallops.
Well before the ink was dry on NOAA’s final rule, the Maine fleet had already started descending on Gloucester, Mass., in what’s become a springtime ritual. As National Fisherman reported in April 2024, upwards of 40 boats from as far east as Lubec tied up in America’s oldest seaport, all chasing the same 200-pound daily limit.