MATTAPOISETT, Mass. — March 30, 2013 — For the first time in five years, the town of Mattapoisett is extending the season for harvesting bay scallops in the outer harbor.
The Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen voted last Tuesday to allow scalloping until the end of April and to increase local quotas for fishermen.
“The local scallop population has been strong this year,” said Mattapoisett Town Administrator Michael J. Gagne. “The fishermen out there have been reporting good catches. . . . It’s the first time we’ve been able to [extend the season] since 2008, so we’re very pleased.”
It could well be an even better season for the handful of commercial fishermen who dredge Mattapoisett waters. Not only will they be able to fish for an extra month, they will also be allowed to take twice as many scallops, as the town is raising the daily catch limit from five to 10 bushels during April.
The bay scallop population can vary from year to year, and this has been a “particularly good year” for the mollusk in Mattapoisett, said Mike Hickey, chief biologist for the state’s shellfish program.
Unlike quahogs, which can survive for many decades, the life span of bay scallops is only 18 to 22 months, explained Hickey. They reach maturity when they are one year old, and most only spawn once in their lifetime.
State officials gave the green light to Mattapoisett to extend the season so fishermen can harvest the mature scallops available. Such a move makes sense because the adults “will die in the next month and a half anyway,” said Hickey.
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