HALLOWELL, Maine — Jaunuary 18, 2014 — Six areas along the Maine coast where scallops had been allowed to be caught on a limited basis were closed to harvesting, effective immediately, for the remainder of the season.
The closure was announced Saturday by the Maine Department of Marine Resources. Commissioner Patrick Keliher has the authority to impose emergency closures for up to 90 days.
That 90-day closure will go beyond the scheduled March 21 closure for those scallop grounds, said Trisha Cheney De Graaf who is the resource coordinator for scallops, urchins, and groundfish for the department.
The closure was imposed because of evidence that the resource in those areas was being significantly depleted, the DMR official said Saturday.
The areas closed are Moosabec Reach in Jonesport; the inner harbor, deep hole, and Southeast Harbor in Stonington; Somes Harbor off Mount Desert Island, the Damariscotta River; and the Medomak River in Waldoboro. The closure of Muscle Ridge in the Spruce Head area is for Fridays only.
Read the full story and watch the video at at the Bangor Daily News