Amid new harvesting restrictions, scallops hit the market Monday with prices starting out at a new high for the shellfish.
Trish De Graaf, scallop resource management coordinator at the Maine Department of Marine Resources, told The Associated Press the prices are higher than she’s ever seen for the fishery after she visited Cobscook Bay Monday. There, fishermen were netting between $12 to $13 per pound for their catch, higher than the average of just over $11 per pound last season, according to preliminary DMR figures.
The AP reported the high price reflects a low supply of scallops, because fishermen who drag for the shellfish in federal waters have already run through annual quotas for 2013.
The AP reported this year’s scallop season will last 70 days for most of the coast with daily catch limits in place. Last season, Maine fishermen brought in 2.4 million pounds of whole scallops, setting a 10-year record valued at $3.2 million.