PORTLAND, Maine - Maine fishing regulators are proposing to trim 10 days from scallop fishing season along the state's southern coast.
The state Department of Marine Resources announced the proposed terms of the 2015-16 scallop season on Thursday. The southern scalloping zone would be reduced from 70 to 60 days. The Midcoast and eastern Maine zone would have 70 days, the same as last year. The far eastern zone, which includes scallop-rich Cobscook Bay, would remain at 50 days.
Under the proposal, the upcoming scallop fishing season would begin in early December and end in mid-April. The state is also proposing a series of targeted closures of waterways to scallop fishing.
The proposal will be the subject of public hearings in mid-September.