Maine's Most Fertile Scalloping Ground Closed for Season

PERRY, Maine - Fishing regulators are shutting down Maine's most productive scallop fishing grounds for the season to protect the valuable shellfish.
 
Cobscook Bay is the most important scalloping area along the Maine cost. Maine marine resources Commissioner Patrick Keliher says it needs to be shut down for the season on Sunday to make sure it stays fertile.
 
Maine's scallop season runs from December to April, but the closure of Cobscook typically represents a slowing down of the season. The state frequently shuts down scalloping areas early to conserve them for future years.
 
Maine fishermen harvested more than 530,000 pounds of scallops in 2016. That was the second-most productive scallop fishing year in the state since 2001.