Ball to celebrate bountiful season
With some 1,500 family shellfish licenses being sold - around 200 last Friday and 40 in one hour Saturday morning - and legions of recreational scallopers going after Nantucket's most delicious export, festivities at the fifth annual Scalloper's Ball should be highspirited.

Marine Superintendent Dave Fronzuto confirms that there is a bumper crop for recreational scallopers this year. Nearly 200 people were working the shallows from Monomoy east to Pimney's Point on Saturday, most of them leaving the harbor with around a half bushel of scallops; some with mounded bushel baskets full of the tasty bivalves.

"What you saw on Saturday was pretty indicative of the shoreline from Abram's Point down, with people getting half a bushel," said Fronzuto who added that despite there being ample scallops in the harbor for the taking, several factors brought people out of the water sooner. "I think it's the tide [at 2:56 p.m.], how long they want to be out there, the Patriot's playing on Sunday, a lot of things. Nobody was complaining, everybody was glad there were some scallops and that it was better than last year."

Scallopers were seen at Pocomo, in front of Folger's Marsh, at the Horseshed and at Hussey Shoal with not much activity reported from Madaket. Fronzuto said the majority of the family harvest took place along the inner harbor shores.

The Scalloper's Ball is this Friday, 6:30 - 11:30 p.m. at the Nantucket Yacht Club.

Cost to attend is $40, or $30 if you hold a valid commercial scalloping license. Purchase tickets at Nantucket Bookworks at 25 Broad St., Nantucket Pharmacy at 45 Main St. and Brant Point Marine at 32 Washington St. Tickets are also available by calling 228-3399 or emailing Sustainable Nantucket at tara@sustainablenantucket.org.

If you want to contribute items to the silent or live auctions, to volunteer or become a sponsor, call 228-3399.

- Peter B. Brace