Nantucket board raises scallop bushel limit to six after cold losses

Other Committee · Meeting of January 20, 2026

Nantucket's Harbor Shellfish Advisory Board raised the daily bay scallop bushel limit from five to six after fishermen lost about seven days to cold-weather closures. Board member Sherwin abstained from the 5-0-1 vote as an active commercial scalloper; fisherman Jim Logan told the board it was "too little too late" and pushed for looser harvest rules. Members said the fleet has fallen to roughly 16 to 18 boats, down from over 100 in past decades, and several accused one local buyer of suppressing prices paid to fishermen.

Separately, the board voted to send Great Harbor Yacht Club a letter alleging violations of its 2008 Chapter 91 state waterways license over fueling, public access and emergency boat hauling, and authorized Chairman Andy Lowell or Secretary Peter Brace to finalize and send it. Natural Resources' Tara Riley reported a new weather station is now live at Brant Point Dock and the department is pursuing about $150,000 in state aquaculture funding.

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Source: the Other Committee meeting of January 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.