The Edgartown Select Board approved an extension of the town’s scallop season at Cape Poge, where shellfishermen are enjoying a particularly bountiful harvest.
“We’re seeing the best bay scallop season that we’ve seen in my 12 years at the department, and by accounts of the fisherman, [in] the last 20, 25 years,” Edgartown shellfish constable Rob Morrison told the select board Monday.
He said an extension would give participating fishermen the opportunity to make extra money without damaging the resource, which is fragile but currently abundant.
Fewer scallop fishermen are in the waters than in the past, he said, adding that most unharvested adult scallops will die before they can be harvested next season.
“This won’t make or break our next year’s scallop harvest,” he said, “but it will allow around 10 fishermen to continue making a living going into a lean time of year.”
“That’s great news,” select board member Mike Donaroma said. “I haven’t heard that news in many years.”
On what exactly led to Edgartown experiencing the best scallop season in years, Morrison said it’s hard to say. In a call with The Times Tuesday, he attributed the abundance to “innumerable natural conditions,” increased propagation initiatives, the town’s enforcement efforts, and “a lot of luck.”
The select board also approved a request to open oyster season inside Edgartown Great Pond for the month of April, with the condition of harvesting with rakes and poles only. All areas of the pond, except for the oyster sanctuary in Slough Cove, will be open for shellfishing. Harvest limits will mirror that of Sengekontacket, which allows for 10 100-count bags, Monday through Friday.
