Blue Hill, Jonesport, Machias -
Some scallop fishing areas in Hancock and Washington counties are now closed in an effort to protect the fishing beds for the future.
Department of Marine Resource officials decided to shut down the Blue Hill Bay area and Jonesport-Machais areas, effective Monday.
The DMR says it's concerned that unrestricted harvesting for the rest of the season could deplete the areas to a point they wouldn't be able to recover.
New rules allow the DMR to close an area when 30-to-40-percent of the scallops in it have been harvested.
Scallop harvesting peaked at nearly 4 million pounds in 1981. It's now dropped to less than 200,000 pounds a year.
The season began December 2nd and is expected to run until March 20th.
For a complete list of closures, click on this link:
http://www.maine.gov/dmr/rulemaking/11.2210and13webdocs.pdf