Fishermen Return To Island Waters For Commercial Scalloping Season

Marty Mack was back at the docks of the Nantucket Boat Basin before 10 a.m. Monday morning with his five-bushel limit on the opening day of the island's commercial scalloping season. For Mack, it marked the start of his 42nd season dredging for Nantucket's prized shellfish.

"The boxes feel heavy," said Mack, referring to the weight of the scallops, a potentially positive sign for the season ahead.

Approximately 25 boats set out from Nantucket and Madaket harbors on Monday, a small number that reflects the state of an aging fleet of fishermen, which has continued to dwindle in recent years.

The retail price of scallops opened at $26 per pound on Monday, while fishermen were being paid between $14 and $16 per pound for their catch. The retail price shot up to $35 per pound at Sayle's Seafood on Tuesday.

Last year's season ended with fishermen landing more than 10,000 bushels of bay scallops from island waters for the first time since the 2017-18 season. It was highlighted by an abundance of adult scallops that prompted state and local officials to grant requests to both raise the per-day bushel limit for fishermen and extend the season to April 11th (it usually concludes at the end of March).