JONESPORT, Maine - Maine fishing regulators are implementing emergency closures in the state's scallop harvesting industry for the first time this season. Maine scallop fishing takes place every winter, and the state uses emergency closures to protect the valuable shellfish against overfishing.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources says it has closed Moosabec Reach, which is an area off Jonesport in Down East Maine.
The closure went into effect on Dec. 8.
The fishery dipped in both volume and value last year. Fishermen harvested a little more than 560,000 pounds of scallop meat in 2018 after collecting more than 800,000 pounds in 2017.