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Good afternoon,
The DMR Advisory Council has reviewed and approved the proposed rulemaking for Chapter 11 Scallops, setting the 2024-2025 season. This notice is to inform harvesters that scallop season materials are now available on the DMR website under "Information for the 2024-2025 Scallop Season" and to also provide a summary of changes for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
Highlights for 2024-2025:
- As a reminder for all zones, scallop harvest begins 1/2 hour before sunrise.
- For Zone 1, Western Casco Bay and Muscle Ridge are open as Limited Access Areas;
- For Zone 2, Limited Access Areas have been established for Morgan Bay & Union River in Upper Blue Hill and Gouldsboro & Dyers Bay. Access is 5 Mondays in December.
- Also in Zone 2, are 3 new conservation closures: Upper Cranberry Isles/Somes Sound, Moosabec Reach/Wahoa Bay, and Upper Machias Bay.
- For Zone 3; there are extra limited access days in December. Please refer to the calendars.
The 2024-2025 Scallop season page is active! It contains the following downloadable documents:
- 2024-2025 Drag Calendars (see attached)
- 2024-2025 Dive Calendars (see attached)
- Individual charts for printing of all Zones
The online Scallop Management Areas Map has been updated to reflect the separation of the drag and dive harvest. Click refresh to update your bookmark before you begin harvest.
The calendar pdfs (attached links below) also include the Augusta sunrise tables for the duration of the scallop season as a quick reference.
And a reminder about electronic reporting:
Scallop fishery requires electronic reporting of day trips, submitted weekly by Sunday 11:59 p.m. The same information previously requested via paper logbooks can be submitted either through using the online LEEDS reporting platform or the VESL harvester application for iPhone and Android smartphones. For assistance with online reporting, please contact [email protected] or 207-633-9414.
For questions on scallop management, contact [email protected] @ 207.441.5040. Also, scallop questions may be directed to your local patrol officers; Patrol Division Lts (633-9595 for Division 1, or 664-2392 for Division 2).
For questions on scallop science, surveys, etc., contact Carl Huntsberger. Email: [email protected] or Phone: 207.350.6004.
CONCISE SUMMARY:
This rule-making establishes the 2024-2025 scallop fishing season. Daily possession limits of 15 gallons for Zone 1 and Zone 2, and 10 gallons for Zone 3 remain unchanged. For Zone 1, a 60-day season for draggers begins on December 9, 2024 and the last day of the season is March 20, 2025. For Zone 1, a 60-day season for divers begins on December 3, 2024 and the last day of the season is April 26, 2025. For Zone 2, a 70-day season for draggers begins on December 2, 2024 and the last day of the season is March 31, 2025. For Zone 2, a 70-day season for divers begins on November 19, 2024 and the last day of the season is April 12, 2025. For Zone 3, a 50-day season for draggers begins on December 2, 2024 and the last day of the season is March 25, 2025. For Zone 3, a 50-day season for divers begins on December 5, 2024 and the last day of the season is March 29, 2025.
Lower Sheepscot and Damariscotta Rivers in Zone 1 along with Upper Machias Bay, Moosabec Reach and Upper Cranberries in Zone 2 are new targeted closures for recovery and rebuilding. Gouldsboro and Dyers Bay along with Upper Blue Hill Bay are established as new limited access areas.
Harvesting of scallops by hand (diving) is restricted to Rotation B (Second) only for the 2024-2025 season. Harvesting for scallops by dredge gear is restricted to Rotation C (Third) only for the 2024-2025 season. Rotation A is closed to all harvest.
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