Plum gets up close and personal with the Nantucket Bay Scallop.
Scallop shells. Submitted by Ramona Davis.
That's a ton of scallops.
Andy Roberts shovels off his boat this morning after the winter storm.
Scallops this time of year are ready for the taking, as long as they've got a well-defined growth ring.
Nantucket's famed natural Bay Scallop fishery is something to behold.
From the late spring and early summer when the spawning begins, to the
first chill that fall brings when the first of the harvest starts, Bay Scallops have
proven their worth since most can remember.
With disappointing seasons in the past years, the 2007-2008 season got off to an amazing start. It still seems to be going strong, with over 15,000 bushels being harvested this year compared to last year's 3,850 bushels.
Coming up with 15,000 bushels this year is still a far cry from what it used to be in the 1980s. Shellfish Biologist Jeff Mercer said that 100,000 bushels was a more accurate figure back then. Mercer is currently working on restoring Nantucket's Bay Scallop population back to somewhat normal numbers (we're still nowhere near a 100,000 bushel season.) With the help of 30 scallops from Nantucket sent off-island to a hatchery, millions of new seed will be spawned. From the growing cages (which can house up to 6,000 scallops) to 2nd Bend off of Pocomo Point (where they will get a "good amount of current and food"), the scallops will grow and eventually, with some help from the natural current, move back out to the main part of Nantucket's waters.
Maria Mitchell Association scientist Dr. Bob Kennedy took us out on the water to learn more about the growth cycle of the Bay Scallop. From this research, he hopes to learn more about increasing the scallop population in Nantucket’s waters. From freckle-sized baby scallops, to the real deal that fisherman dredge for in the harbor, Kennedy continues to investigate the life cycle of Nantucket’s scallops.
For years, locals like Phil Osley and Neil Cocker (see our video below) have been on the water to help make ends meet thanks to the scallops. With the 2007/08 season being the best that it has been in a while, fishermen such as themselves can only hope that all of the research being done on Argopectin irradians is making a difference.
Issues surrounding the depleting population are abundant. Some seasoned locals feel that the lowered numbers are due to smaller amounts of eelgrass, which the scallops latch onto to during various stages of their life. Others feel that there should be tighter restrictions on what is considered a “nub” scallop, or a adult-sized scallop that hasn’t reproduced (and therefore has not contributed to the population) yet.
Despite the price of scallops dropping to $11 per pound, however, this season still is considered extremely successful, and with the efforts of the town, including people like Mercer and Kennedy, we can only hope that Nantucket’s natural Bay Scallop population is going to be around for many years to come.
For more on Plum's ongoing coverage of the Nantucket Bay Scallop:
- Scalloper & Local Dive Shop Owner Phil Osley on Scalloping
- On the Water with Commercial Scalloper Neil Cocker
- MMA Dr. Bob Kennedy on the Bay Scallops' Life Cycle
- Town Shellfish Biologist Jeff Mercer on the Bay Scallop Population
Photo Gallery
Video
Head out into Madaket Harbor with commercial scalloper Neil Cocker to catch a glimpse at what it takes to bring you those tasty Nantucket Bay Scallops.
For more on the Nantucket Bay Scallop, take a look at our ongoing coverage of the shellfishing industry in Nantucket.
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