Maine is letting new people into its rebuilding scallop fishery for the first time in nearly a decade.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources says four people won a lottery that will allow them to apply for a scalloping license. The winners are the first new entrants into the fishery since 2009.
The new lottery system will allow two new people into the fishery for every three who do not renew their license. The system applies to fishermen who harvest scallops with drag boats. The state received nearly 1,300 entrants for this year's lottery.
Maine scallops are praised by chefs and diners as some of the meatiest in the seafood world. The fishery has rebounded through conservative management over the past decade, with harvest hitting a 20-year high last year.