ELLSWORTH, Maine — Maine scallop fishermen would be allowed to harvest the same amount of the shellfish per day under a proposal floated by state regulators.
The state’s scallop season takes place every winter in the state’s icy waters. The Maine Department of Marine Resources is proposing a 2018-19 fishing season in which fishermen in most of Maine would be limited to 15 gallons per day. Fishermen in a zone that includes scallop-rich Cobscook Bay would be limited to 10 gallons per day.
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The proposal also includes localized closures. It’s up for public hearings next month in Augusta, Machias, and Ellsworth.
State regulators describe Maine’s scallop fishery as a success story of conservative management. Fishermen harvested only 33,141 pounds in 2005, but the fishery has rebuilt to hundreds of thousands of pounds per year.
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