February 23, 2022 — Maine’s most productive scallop fishing grounds are closed for the remaining weeks of the state’s fishing season.
Cobscook Bay is home to the most fertile scalloping waters in Maine. The Maine Department of Marine Resources typically closes scalloping grounds early to prevent overfishing. The department decided to close Cobscook for the season on Sunday.
February 14, 2022 — Maine’s prime scallop fishing grounds will stay open deeper into the winter.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources had been considering closing the Cobscook Bay area to fishing to prevent overharvesting scallops. The department said Thursday the area will remain open through at least Feb. 19.
February 8, 2022 — Maine ocean regulators might close the state’s most productive scallop fishing grounds for the year.
The state is home to a winter scallop fishing industry that takes place in nearshore waters. The most fertile scalloping grounds in the state are in Cobscook Bay in rural Down East Maine.
The Maine Department of Maine Resources said the area is showing signs of pressure from the scallop harvest and will be evaluated for closure this week.
November 11, 2021 — Over the last few decades local fish has become harder to source for coastal communities, but covid-19 has changed that. Local food systems, including fisheries, have been thriving in the lockdowns, and educators are starting to notice. Small-scale fishermen and local distributors are meeting with students from high schools and colleges all around the coasts.
In August and September, one such group from Sterling College in northern Vermont visited Downeast Maine to learn about local fisheries, seaweed gathering, and aquaculture.
Read the full story at National Fisherman
February 12, 2021 — Maine fishing regulators are closing the state’s richest scallop fishing grounds in the coming days.
The state is closing Cobscook, Whiting and Dennys bays for the rest of the fishing season starting Sunday to help conserve the scallop population, the Maine Department of Marine Resources said Friday. Cobscook Bay is home to some of the most productive scallop fishing in the state.
Scallops may still be harvested by drag boats only on Feb. 15 and by divers only on Feb. 20, the marine department said. The St. Croix River, another key scallop fishing area, will remain open until further notice, the department said.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald
November 12, 2020 — Hancock County residents can look forward to feasting on freshly harvested sea scallops when the 2020-21 scallop fishing season kicks off in coming weeks. Maine’s scallop fishery landed 415,818 pounds of scallop meats worth $4.359 million in 2019, making it the state’s 10th most lucrative seafood.
On Nov. 5, the Maine Department of Marine Resources announced finalized dates for the 2020-21 scallop fishing season and its three fishery management zones. In Zone 2, which stretches from eastern Penobscot Bay to Quoddy Head in Lubec, licensed scallop divers can commence harvesting Monday, Nov. 23, with their season ending April 24. Scallop draggers’ season gets underway Tuesday, Dec. 1, and closes March 31.
In Zone 3, encompassing Cobscook Bay and the St. Croix River — Maine’s richest scallop fishing grounds — divers can start fishing for the prized bivalves on Dec. 3, with their season closing March 27, while draggers can fish there starting Dec. 1 and ceasing March 24. In Zone 1, from western Penobscot Bay to the New Hampshire border, diving is allowed starting Nov. 17 and wraps up April 24 while dragging runs from Dec. 7 through March 18.
In zones 1 and 2, daily scallop meat possession will be limited to 15 gallons per boat. In Zone 3, ten gallons of shucked scallops will remain as the daily limit. The same limits apply to divers and draggers. For more details, the adopted 2020-2021 season regulations are posted at https://www.maine.gov/dmr/laws-regulations/newly-adopted-regulations.html.
November 10, 2020 — Maine’s scallop fishermen will be able to harvest the same amount of scallops under the rules for the coming season.
Fishermen in Maine harvest scallops by diving or by boat every winter. This year, they will be allowed to possess up to 15 gallons per day along most of Maine’s coast and up to 10 gallons per day in the Cobscook Bay area, the Maine Department of Marine Resources said.
The fishing season runs from late November to April. Fishermen harvested more than 400,000 pounds of Maine scallops in 2019. That was the lowest number since 2012.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the San Francisco Chronicle
September 11, 2020 — Maine’s scallop fishers who plan to participate in the coming fishing year will be allowed the same harvesting levels as last season.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources said scallopers who work most of the coast will be limited to 15 gallons per day. Fishers in the Cobscook Bay area will be limited to 10 gallons per day. Those are the same limitations as the 2019-20 scallop season.
February 19, 2020 — Maine fishing regulators are shutting down some of the most important scallop fishing areas in the state for the season.
Cobscook, Whiting and Dennys bays are all shut down, the Maine Department of Marine Resources said.
Cobscook Bay is home to the most fertile scallop fishing grounds in Maine, which is home to a winter scallop harvesting industry.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald
January 29, 2019 — Maine fishing regulators are shutting down some of the most fertile scallop fishing grounds in the state to help keep the shellfish’s population healthy.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources says it will implement a closure of Cobscook Bay, including the Whiting and Dennys Bay areas. Cobscook Bay is the most productive scallop fishing area in Maine.
Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Portland Press Herald