EMERGENCY CLOSURE NOTICE: Cobscook and Whiting/Dennys Bays; Narraguagus/Pigeon Hill; Lower Blue Hill /Jericho Bays Closure
Maine Department of Marine Resources sent this bulletin at 02/16/2023 01:09 PM ESTHaving trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
Good morning,
Please be aware that DMR will implement emergency conservation closure(s) in the area(s) below, effective Sunday, February 19, 2023:
-
Cobscook, Whiting and Dennys Bays
- EXCEPTION: Whiting/Dennys LAA will remain OPEN for drag harvest only on Monday, February 20, 2023.
- St. Croix River, north of Kendall Head remains OPEN until further notice.
- Narraguagus/Pigeon Hill Rotational Area
- Lower Blue Hill Bay/Jericho Bay Rotational Area
The Scallop Management Area Map has been updated to reflect these closures. To view closures, zoom into the local area.
The notice of emergency rulemaking will be posted to DMR's website and is included in this notice below.
NOTICE OF AGENCY EMERGENCY RULE-MAKING
AGENCY: Department of Marine Resources
CHAPTER NUMBER AND TITLE: Chapter 11.08, Targeted Closures: (10) Narraguagus/ Pigeon Hill RA; (11) Cobscook, Whiting & Dennys Bays; (12) Lower Blue Hill Bay/Jericho Bay RA
CONCISE SUMMARY:
The Commissioner adopts this emergency rulemaking to establish scallop conservation closures in the Narraguagus/Pigeon Hill and Lower Blue Hill/Jericho Bays Rotational Areas (Zone 2) and Cobscook, Whiting and Dennys Bays in Zone 3. The Department is concerned that continued harvesting for the remainder of the 2022-2023 fishing season in these areas will reduce scallop broodstock further, as well as jeopardize sublegal scallops that were observed in the 2022 Scallop surveys that are essential to the ongoing recruitment, regrowth and recovery of the scallop resource. An immediate conservation closure is necessary to reduce the risk of unusual damage and imminent depletion of the scallop resource in four important scallop harvest areas. For these reasons, the Commissioner hereby adopts an emergency closure of Maine’s scallop fishery in these areas as authorized by 12 M.R.S. §6171(3)(A).
EFFECTIVE DATE: February 19, 2023
Please do not reply to this email; the mail box is not monitored. For more information, I can be reached at Melissa.Smith@maine.gov or 207-441-5040. Thank you!