PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 18, 2025
A federal agency has passed the ruling needed to reopen federal scallop fishing in the Gulf of Maine, just under a week after it was forced to close because of delays in finalizing annual catch limits. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Friday afternoon that fishermen will be allowed to resume scalloping on Monday through the remainder of the season — which ends once a certain amount is caught. NOAA temporarily closed the regional fishery on April 12, the first midseason closure since regulations were put in place 16 years ago. It impacted those who fish for scallops in federal waters, 3 miles offshore in the northern Gulf of Maine region.