Bay scallop season opened in state waters on the morning of Nov. 2, at sunrise, 6:21 to be exact. It was crisp, clear, and sunny with barely a wisp of wind. A picture-perfect start to a late fall day.
As I drove over the span of the Lance Cpl. Jordan C. Haerter Veterans Memorial Bridge to Sag Harbor to grab some coffee, I slowed to look to my left at the wide expanse of Shelter Island Sound. While I saw a boat anchored up tight to the green rock spindle just off Barcelona Neck trying its luck for blackfish, not a single scallop boat could be seen dredging for the iconic bivalves in the 56-degree water.
I was not surprised. Word along the docks for the past two months was that this would be another poor scallop season. Long gone are the days of witnessing over 75 boats jockeying for position on a favorite scallop hot spot from my vantage point atop the bridge.
For various reasons, mainly recent open-heart surgery, I did not remove my eight iron scallop dredges from the darkness of my basement. In fact, this is now the third straight year they’ve remained in place. The outlook was dour, and at some point one has to ask, what’s the point?
Ultimately that day, I did see two scallopers near my house on North Haven. One actually dropped his six dredges in back of our house, about 30 yards off the beach. After 10 minutes, he hand-pulled them up and dropped them on the wooden culling board and emptied the bag ends.
In less than a minute, he pushed over the side a cornucopia of seaweed, rocks, whelks, spider crabs, slipper shells, and long dead clam shells. Alas, not a single adult scallop was culled out. He then quickly sped off down the beach toward the South Ferry in search of greener pastures.
At the end of the day, I texted a friend of mine in Sag Harbor about what I’d seen of the start of the season.
“Oh right, I forgot that today was the opening of scallop season,” he responded. His words sadly captured the reality for our once abundant shellfish.
There are a few “local” bay scallops showing up in markets mainly to the west, which are coming from Moriches and Great South Bay. Close enough for me, despite a lofty price that’s $60 per pound or more, if they can even be found. The waters of East Hampton opened on Monday to commercial scallopers, and the outlook was equally poor.
On a positive note, the commercial bay scallop season opened up on Nov. 2 on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. The landings have been very good so far and a long season is predicted. There is even talk already that the five-bushel-per-person daily limit may be increased to six or seven, as was done last season.
On Nantucket, the retail price at local fish markets hovered around $40 a pound, while the Vineyard saw them a tad higher at $45. Some of those scallops have already begun to appear in our local fish markets. On Nantucket, approximately three-quarters of the scallop catch is sold to off-island buyers.
While scallops here are scarce, the same can’t be said of the local run of squid, which continues to please many.
Bill O’Leary of East Hampton and a few other members of the East Hampton Sportsmen’s Alliance went on a recent nighttime excursion on the Ebb Tide Princess out of Montauk. It was an unforgettable trip.
“The squid trip was bananas,” said O’Leary. “It was convenient, affordable, and incredibly productive. I had no idea what I was doing and caught 30 squid. They are easy to clean, no problem to freeze, and versatile and delicious to prepare and eat.”
Mark Leibowitz of Montauk Inlet Outfitters at 478 West Lake Drive echoed O’Leary’s squid observation. “The run of squid in Fort Pond Bay remains fantastic,” he said. “It’s gone on for several weeks and there is no sign of it stopping.”
Striped bass fishing has been a disappointment so far this fall, but Leibowitz finally had some good news, especially for surfcasters. “Ditch Plains has been a hot spot in the morning, but anywhere from Hither Hills eastward has been productive of late, which is great to finally see.”
He also was enthused about the solid bottom fishing for sea bass and blackfish. “It’s been really good fishing,” he noted. “The waters are still very warm — around 60 degrees — so the blackfish action will only improve as the waters cool. It’s the same for striped bass too.” Leibowitz is also well stocked with green crabs, which have been hard to secure this fall.
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Fishing tips, observations, and photographs can be sent to [email protected].