Islanders Take To The Water As Nantucket's Recreational Scalloping Season Opens

Nantucket's recreational scalloping season opened Sunday morning, and island residents took to the waters of Madaket Harbor and Nantucket Harbor at dawn in search of the season's first catch.

This year's season begins with optimism both for recreational scallopers and Nantucket's commercial fleet, which will drop its dredges in a month. The 2022-23 commercial scalloping season saw the number of bushels harvested more than double, and Tara Riley, the town's shellfish and aquatic resources manager, said there are more seed scallops in Nantucket Harbor than she's ever seen before.

Nantucket Current contributing photographer Charity Grace Mofsen went to Madaket Sunday morning to capture the scene near the Jackson Point pier, as recreational scallopers fanned out at the popular spot on the west end.