Bay Scallops

The bay scallop fishery opens each fall in Chatham and other areas of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. It is skiff fishery, meaning the boats are more or less 20 feet long, and they work in the coastal waters of the bays, not offshore. They use small dredges to pull up the bay scallops and fishermen cull through them to keep only those that have at least one growth ring, to ensure they are not seed. Bay scallops are in high demand because of their sweet taste and the short season. Fishermen get paid more if they shuck the scallops for market. This is time consuming, but worth it.