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It has been four months since the last update, fishermen in this project have been "looking over" areas to decide where they will plant the scallop seed they collected last fall. They look for areas of low predation (starfish and crabs) and areas with an absence of scallops that they know from experience are capable of producing a good scallop. This month we will be gathering up sample bags for counting to develop the settlement data layer. Scallops from this year's effort will be released around Independence Day.

To attempt to minimize the amount of financial impact for the fishermen involved, material (bags & netron) for the 2002 collection is available now. Fishermen interested in setting collectors this year can contact either State scallop scientist Scott Feindel at (207) 633- 9516 or Marsden at (207) 367-5100 to get their paws on some "free gear" (thanks to the folks at the Northeast Consortium). For most Maine Fishermen time is at a premium during shedder season, getting the bags stuffed and the lines rigged during the spring should help minimize financial loss.

The financial end of this project has been a story in itself. None of the people who participate get paid by the project. For the fishermen involved there is a sense of satisfaction in knowing that you planted more scallops than you harvested that can't be measured in monetary terms. This project has utilized outreach time from various organizations and has had the privilege of some dedicated time from the Science Dept. of the DMR. Spat collectors (30,000 dollars worth over four years) have been provided with funds from many organizations and some individual contributions. Various organizations have helped by writing the proposals and administering the funds, turning money into material to work with. We remain indebted to the many students and community members that have come forth to help.

In order for this project to be considered truly successful it eventually has to be self supporting. This is a challenge that we are taking seriously. There are various methods that have been tried in other countries. One method is a surcharge "tax" on the scallops produced; Canadian Fishermen in one stock enhancement program are paying a 30% tax on the scallops they catch to help support their stock enhancement program. In some Maine fisheries we pay license surcharges. Neither of these methods is very appealing as many Maine fishermen already feel as though they are being licensed, taxed and surcharged right out of business. Much of the success of this project so far has come from "thinking outside the box"; we are using this technique in figuring out how to be self supporting.

What is going to entice a fisherman with a 35 foot boat to spend a thousand dollars a year for spat collection materials and spend four or five days a year working the gear? There has to be an individual reward for the collective project. This leads us to what some have called the next logical step, Aquaculture.

What some of the participants in this project are looking at is the possibility of small scale aquaculture using water column techniques for some of the juvenile scallops that they have collected. The idea is to license the gear and leave the bottom in public trust, kind of like what we already do with lobster traps. We are looking to develop this in a way that allows fishermen to work together in the areas that they traditionally fish.

Clustering and rotational management of the gear can allow areas to get a rest from dragging for a period of time before the gear is moved and the area is returned to the wild. This also allows for some protection for areas that have been seeded. We call it rotational management for a reason. Legislation has already been passed that can enable this but the regulatory process remains a nightmare and there are public health issues that need to be addressed as we are looking at different product forms. In our wild fishery we are limited to selling only the abductor muscle. The Japanese market scallops in many different forms and there is no reason to believe that we can't do it here. Attempting to work the bugs out of this idea has led to another branch of this project.

This project which is currently in the planning stages will provide participating fishermen with training and gear, and let them use their considerable skills, knowledge, and powers of observation, to develop culture protocols appropriate for their locale and vessel. To address the issues of public health, user conflict, marketing and privatization of public resources, project participants will work closely with the Maine Dept. of Marine Resources, seafood dealers, and the general public. Fishermen interested in becoming involved in this project can do so by contacting Dana Morse, extension associate, Maine Sea Grant Program / UMaine Cooperative Extension at (207) 563-3146 ext 205 or Marsden at (207) 367-5100.

The goal of The Wild Scallop Stock Enhancement Project is "To Develop a Sustainable Fishery". Our fisheries have changed a lot over the last 100 years and they are probably going to have to change a lot more if we are ever going to develop sustainable fisheries.