WHITING – Maine officials say the state’s shutting down a few high traffic scallop fishing areas to prevent overfishing.
The Maine Department of Marine Resource is closing Sand and Machias bays and Lower Englishman Bay starting on Sunday. It’s also shutting down parts of Cobscook Bay, which is the most fertile scallop fishing ground in Maine.
The parts of Cobscook Bay that will no longer be accessible include Whiting and Dennys bays.
The marine department says scallop monitoring surveys and industry reports show catch rates have slowed and fishermen are near their catch targets. The state routinely uses closures to prevent scallops from being overharvested.
Maine’s scallop fishery collapsed in the mid-2000s and has steadily rebuilt since. The state crafted new management measures for the shellfish in attempt to save the fishery.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.