Scallop season opens up in Island waters

There weren’t many boats out for the start of scallop season in Island waters November 8 — heavy winds and cold temperatures were likely to blame. But when state waters opened up for scalloping the week before on November 1, boats were out in droves.

Mike Checklick of Braun’s Seafood said that people were bringing in a lot of scallops on November 1, but the number has since dropped off, much as in past years. That first week, he said, people were pulling in between 3 and 6 bushels, depending on how many people were on the boat.

Jimmy Hayward of Commander Cody’s agreed that scallopers hauled a good catch on November 1, but saw only three or four boats head out the morning of November 8 because “it was blowin’ too hard.”

John Kotula agreed that weather was to blame for the small numbers of boats looking for Island scallops when those waters opened up, but that many headed west to Robin’s Island earlier in the week, a scallop hot-spot.

Colleen Reiter, wife of Bob Reiter who runs Bob’s Fish Market, said that scallopers “didn’t get their limit, but it was pretty good, better than it has been in quite a few years.” Scallopers can take 5 bushels in Island waters and 10 in state waters.