Scallop's ??? Maine coast ???

[oldschoolto]

I just got a nice little dive boat for CHEAP... 14' glastron, 50hp mercury, with a nice trailer... So I now need to know were there are some scallop beds??? Most likely drive down to Bangor then cut over to the coast... I could head to rockland - belfast or go to bar harbor ?

Need place to put boat in and out.... Place to park the RV van and would like to sleep at the same spot (in van).... And it's JUST lobsters we can't take right ? Scallop's, Clams and Crabs are ok??? I've got tanks for the weekend , But is anyone refilling down there if I need more air ?

Jim.....

 

[Wookie]

Licensing restrictions are fairly strict. No lobsters, check. Scallops, I think a 5 gallon bucket in the recreational season (a month long, maybe?) It almost isn't worth it...

Of course, for fresh scallops....

 

[oldschoolto]

Maine is really on the "THAT SUCKS" list..... I thought it was only the freshwater fish they were crazy about...

So I guess leave the boat home.... Drive down and shore dive "only looking" .... And then go to the market and buy what you where just looking at.... Got it..

Jim....

 

[Wookie]

Maine works very hard to protect the commercial fisherman. Fishermen complain that diving Massholes come up and clean out their traps (complete BS if you ask me), so they pass a law that says you can't take lobsters on scuba. The scallop dredgers complain that the recreational divers take too many scallops (What?!?!?!?!) so they shut the season down to a month.

Whether it's worth it to you or not is up to you. I don't mind IQF scallops, but that's all I can get in the stores in Key West anyway. I'd kill for fresh scallops in the shell, the way I used to get them when I was a kid. Clams are, of course, dug on the beach, so getting fresh ones is a matter of getting a clam rake and hod and wandering out on the clam flats.

Freshwater fish? I used to get busted poaching all the time, those tasty little brook trout from tiny little streams out back of beyond of Rangely. My dad would sigh.

---------- Post added June 5th, 2013 at 12:52 PM ----------

Scallops: Daily limit recreational 2 quarts Season: 70 days, December through March. No fishing Thursdays and Fridays.
Lobster and crab: Don't even think of taking one on scuba. Don't be near where traps are set. Those bastiges will shoot you. You may apply for a recreational trapping license. 5 traps, $65 license fee. You have to pass a test.
Clams: I can't find any recreational clam regulations. Find a fish cop and ask them.

 

[triplecove]

How far off shore do you have to get to not fall under Maine rules?

 

[Wookie]

3 miles from the nearest land, but with all of the islands, that may be a ways out. A nautical chart will help you, it shows the demarcation line between state and federal waters. Be careful. Some states (Florida being one) will regulate your federal catch as state catch unless you can prove (by tracklines on a GPS, for example) that you weren't in state waters except to pass through without stopping.

 

[triplecove]

Thanks wookie I have been curious about that.

 

[poe67]

FYI... Maine scallop season usually runs from Decemeber to April. So the season is now closed. I can tell you as a recreational diver, you'll need a license from the DMR and can only take half a gallon per day (2 quart bags). Last season was rough as most of the areas were closed.

 

[macado]

For what it's worth, there is no scalloping season or license needed for Massachusetts waters. You don't have to be a resident and you're free to take them without a license.

Scallops must be 3 1/2 inches (basically fit in palm of your hand) and you're limited to one bushel of scallops or four quarts of shucked scallops. (4 quarts is ~8lbs of shucked scallop meat)