BREWER, Maine — The state’s scallop advisory council on Wednesday tacitly supported a preliminary proposal from Maine Department of Marine Resources to implement a multiyear rotating closure schedule before next winter’s scallop season begins.
Meeting at Jeff’s Catering, the advisory council revisited its earlier recommendations to DMR to reduce the number of fishing days from 70 days to 43 and the daily harvest limit from 200 pounds to 135. DMR Commissioner Patrick Keliher told the council that the department is interested in implementing a 10-year rotating closure schedule as a way to rebuild and manage scallop stocks rather than imposing tighter restrictions on when and how much fishermen can catch.
“There’s got to be a better way to skin a cat,” he said.
Rather than going with its earlier recommendations, the council voted Wednesday to propose instead that fishermen keep the existing 70-day season format, which has been in place since it was reduced from 132 days in 2008. And rather than reduce the daily per-fisherman limit from 200 pounds to 135 pounds, it recommended a daily limit of 185 pounds, which is roughly the equivalent of four five-gallon buckets.
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