Feds closing part of New England scallop fishery for 11 months
Area is off Maine, NH, Mass. coasts
Area is off Maine, NH, Mass. coasts
Federal regulators are closing a key scallop fishing area off New England for nearly 11 months.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it is closing the northern Gulf of Maine to a class of fishermen who fish under a federal permit starting Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. The closure will last until March 31, 2019.
NOAA says the vessels will not be allowed to fish for, possess or land scallops from the area, which is off Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
The agency says regulations require that it closes the area once it projects that all of the quota has been harvested.
NOAA says it will still be possible for some boats to fish for scallops in Maine or Massachusetts state waters within the northern Gulf of Maine.