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Advisory board weighs scallop limits, weekday recreational openings and apprentice rules
Summary
Board members revisited the seven‑bushel commercial scallop limit, discussed market and freezing solutions, and debated whether opening Monday and Tuesday for recreational scalloping requires a town meeting article; they also reviewed apprenticeship and residency rules that may pose barriers to new fishermen.
At the March 3 meeting the Harbor and Shellfish Advisory Board reviewed a prior decision to allow seven bushels for commercial scallopers and discussed market challenges, ship‑time losses and potential freezing and marketing strategies to move product late in the season.
The chair said the board would keep the seven‑bushel item on the agenda and solicited input from local buyers and fishermen. Members noted shipping delays can cause shipments to arrive rejected by buyers; one member suggested nonprofit support for marketing and local freezing capacity to preserve product quality. A participant said "I've heard numbers like 4,000 pounds they'd freeze" as an example of local freezing throughput.
The board also discussed opening Monday and Tuesday for recreational scalloping. The chair and others clarified that changing those days would require a town meeting article and a bylaw change; one member suggested a fall special town meeting could be used to seek voters' approval.
Discussion turned to the apprenticeship pathway for young fishermen. Members said apprentices can take a scallop limit while apprenticing, but raised confusion about license timing, residency proof and 'late‑start hardship' provisions. The board agreed to review the regulations and consult Natural Resources staff and the shellfish constable to identify whether deadlines (for example, license purchase timing) and proof requirements are unnecessarily exclusionary.
No formal votes were taken on these items; the board kept the topics on the agenda for continued review and requested staff and member follow‑up on markets, freezing capacity and regulatory language.
