Maine’s most productive scallop ground shut down
As part of the state’s conservation plan to conserve and rebuild the scallop resource, the state Department of Marine Resources said it is closing Cobscook Bay, the most productive scallop fishing area in Maine, MPBN reported.
In January, the DMR closed the Muscle Ridge Area near South Thomaston and the Western Penobscot Bay Area.
Closures are triggered when the harvest exceeds target levels, according to the DMR. The trigger mechanism has been in place since 2012 as a method to ensure that a sustainable volume of biomass remains on the bottom.
Combined with the use of limited access areas, where harvesting only occurs one day a week, and rotational closures, which are similar to crop rotations, the DMR’s management approach has resulted in a steady increase in landings and value for Maine’s scallop fishery.
The plan resulted when the fishery experienced an all-time low in 2005, landing 33,141 meat pounds of scallops from Maine waters valued at $272,703. Since then, the combination of conservation measures appears to be effective, the DMR said. For example, 605,224 meat pounds were landed in 2014 valued at $7,665,815, an 18-fold increase in landings and an almost 28-fold increase in value from 2005. The fishery has experienced a significant increase in active participation in recent years.
MPBN reports that the DMR is also shutting down the Owls Head area of lower Penobscot Bay and limiting the St. Croix River to one day per week for draggers and one day per week for divers
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