Scallop restrictions set for Down East Maine
The Maine Department of Marine Resources has implemented new conservation closure rules for scallops in Cobscook Bay and the St. Croix River.
The new measures, implemented through emergency rulemaking, went into effect Friday. They come about a week after the agency imposed other restrictions on harvesting scallops that included closures in six other parts of the state, according to the Bangor Daily News. The new measures, announced by DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher are short term and will allow fishermen to harvest scallops in Cobscook Bay and the St. Croix River three days a week. However, the season still may be shortened, the newspaper reported.
The department is concerned that unrestricted harvesting for the rest of the 2013-14 fishing season may damage small scallops, which could be caught during subsequent fishing seasons, as well as reduce the broodstock essential to a recovery in these areas, the newspaper reported.
Last season, Maine fishermen brought in 2.4 million pounds of whole scallops, setting a 10-year record valued at $3.2 million.
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