Scallops now up to $13 lb.
Confidence high for besting last year's record low scallop harvest
BY PETER B. BRACE
New Bedford Fishmonger M.F. Foley Fish Co. relied heavily on Martha's Vineyard scallopers last year. The company bought roughly 4,000 pounds from the Vineyard - more than normal - and 7,000 from Nantucket because of the dearth of scallops coming from the Vineyard's waters.

Downyflake cook Pete Rhynie serves up a portion of deep-fried fresh Nantucket bay scallops yesterday afternoon.

This season, Louis Larsen, owner of the Net Result in Vineyard Haven, does not expect copious amounts of scallops to be hauled from the other island's waters.

"Right now it's looking very good, but there's a lot of grass they have to get down through," said Larsen. "A couple of the towns that don't normally have them [have them], but no town looks like they're going to have any kind of bumper crop this year."

Marine Superintendent Dave Fronzuto said that part of the Vineyard's problem with lack of supply during the commercial season is probably attributable to recreational scallopers being allowed to harvest scallops by pulling dredges from their boats.

All these factors likely translate into Foley's supply coming predominantly from Nantucket, said Foley President and co-owner Peter Ramsden.

"I was there opening day and actually it was quite optimistic because the captain I was with caught his five-bushel limit in two-and-a-half tows and we were back at the dock by 9 a.m.," said Ramsden, who, along with retired former Foley President Mike Foley, travels to the island each year to put their hands in the harbors to get a sense of how the supply will be. "But what I've heard is the beds are wearing thin, so it's going to be a tough year,"

Fronzuto confirmed this news.

"People are prospecting, people are looking all over, which tends to make me believe that it's not going to last," said Fronzuto. "Last means get us through the end of December."

These predictions may not be far off, as the $12- boat price on opening day last Wednesday went up to $13 on Monday, according to Glidden's Island Seafood owner David Glidden. Although Glidden said island buyers are already rationing out their scallops to their buyers, he has a good feeling about this season.

"I feel very good about it, much better than last year," said Glidden. "How can you say anything bad? I get the sense that there's going to be good fishing for a solid month."

Ted Jennison, co-owner of Nantucket Seafoods agreed with Glidden's observations and said the price is likely to go higher sooner than later.

"I think we have some, but it's nothing great," he said. "It's hard to get your limit. The weights per limits are down. You're lucky to catch 40 pounds per bushel.

"Demand is strong for them because the Vineyard's weak and we're weak. We're going to be $15 like we were last year pretty soon."

Those out on the water dredging the scallops were not so positive about what they are finding in Nantucket and Madaket harbors. Though it was too early for him to make any predictions when asked about the rest of the season on Monday, scalloper Robert McKee offered a lackluster report for his first few days on the water.

"It was good the first day, second day it was a little worse, the third day was horrible and today my culling board needs some attention, so I came in early," said McKee.

Seventy-six-year-old scalloper Jack Dooley scalloping with his son, John, was more realistic.

"It'll be good days and bad days, good days and bad days. It's not going to be no bonanza," said Dooley.

Maybe not, but all scallopers and those connected with the Nantucket bay scallop fishery are hoping against hope that the fleet brings in more of the sweet meats than last season's abysmal harvest of 5,500 bushels. While nobody is confident enough in the scallop populations around the harbors to believe scallopers will approach the 32,500 bushels caught in the 2004/2005 season, the early numbers are encouraging enough for some to believe it will be a slightly more productive harvest.

Fronzuto said he is not having any problems with scallopers taking seed and that all scallops he has seen had raised, well-defined growth rings. He admitted that the first week looked a little more productive than last season at this time, but not by much. Although there 42 boats working Nantucket Harbor and six in Madaket, Fronzuto expects those numbers to drop drastically within this first month of the commercial season.

"It's going fairly well," said Fronzuto. "They're getting their limits, it's taking longer than it did on the first couple days, but everybody seems to be settling into a routine and they're good scallops.

"The scallops are very spotty where these guys are finding them. Everybody that I'm talking to is saying they don't think it's going to last through the month of November."

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