SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY
Long Island Harvests May Signal a Comeback for Scallops
from the New York Times (Registration Required)
GREENPORT, N.Y. -- Bone-tired but grinning, Peter Wenczel and his son Ben eased their 26-foot work boat toward the dock here one recent afternoon, its deck piled high with bags of scallops. "We got limit!" Ben Wenczel, 22, shouted, referring to the state's daily limit of 10 bushels per person for commercial scallop fishing.
For the baymen of Long Island's eastern shore, out in force this month in their orange waterproof jumpsuits and knee-high galoshes, the November opening of the scallop season has not always been so rewarding. Beginning in 1985, multiple surges in toxic marine algae known as brown tide have decimated Peconic Bay's scallop population, resulting in years of dismal, economically devastating harvests.
But last year, the baymen realized that the scallops might finally be making a comeback. The yield was more than three times that of 2007, and this year's harvest is expected to be at least as good if not better, scientists working in the area say.
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