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5 hours ago

Scallop fishermen face tough choices after the federal fishery is paused

maine scallop fisherman Photo / Courtesy Togue Brawn Maine fisherman Kristan Porter serves on the New England Fishery Management Council Scallop Advisory Panel.
By Tina Fischer

Maine fishermen who participate in the federal Northern Gulf of Maine scallop fishery are stuck in regulatory limbo after the federal agency charged with implementing annual catch limits shut down the fishery temporarily last week.

Policy changes under the Trump administration sidelined the quota system last week.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had set "default" quotas while a final funding decision was pending, but that 350,000-pound limit has been reached. Normally quotas run closer to 675,000 pounds, or 200 pounds per day, per fisherman.

The closure on Friday occurred just 11 days into the season.

While the early shut down is unprecedented, it should be temporary, according to Togue Brawn, who operates Bremen-based Downeast Dayboat Scallops and is a member of the New England Fishery Management Council, which recommends scallop quotas to the NOAA. 

Working two seasons

Brawn explained that the crux of the issue is that it’s not at all clear when fishermen will be given the go-ahead to start fishing again.

Many Maine fishermen work both scallop and lobster fisheries. 

During key parts of the scallop season, a number of Mainers make a temporary base of Gloucester, Mass., where they can drag for scallops off the lucrative region known as Stellwagen Bank.

Confusion over the quota has made business decisions difficult: Do they leave their boats there, hoping for a quick decision on the quota, or do they bring their boats back to Maine to get ready for lobster season?

“Most of them paid for housing and mooring for April, so if the regulation is implemented soon, they’ll be OK,” Brawn said. "But if it drags into May, I don’t know what they’ll do.”

Brawn noted that the scallops coming off Stellwagen Bank are especially large this year, unlike scallops from other areas in the federal fishery, so the incentive to fish the area is strong. As a result, boats from Maine to New Jersey have flocked to the region.

“With sea scallops selling for $40 a pound, it’s a difficult decision to head home, when regulators might reopen fishing any day," Brawn said. "It could be next week or the middle of next month. The longer this pause lasts, the more expensive it becomes.”

Some fishermen drag for scallops in state waters, inside the three-mile line that constitutes federal waters, and those fishermen are not affected by the shutdown. 

“There are scallops all over the northern Gulf of Maine,” Brawn added, “but the Stellwagen Bank is by far the most productive bed right now, so that’s where everybody wants to fish.”
 

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