Northern Gulf of Maine... Baseball/Scallop Season??

Riley Coombs motors back to shore after a pogey-fishing trip with his father ran long - rushing from boat to baseball is a spring tradition for the Coombs family.

Written by Monique Coombs, MCFA Director of Community Programs

Springtime in Maine is mostly wonderful because we know warmer days are just around the corner. But it’s also a little frustrating because the beautiful spring weather is interrupted by random snowstorms and pouring rain. It’s also baseball season. And for many fishing families, it’s NGOM scallop season, too.

If you’re a parent of a student-athlete, you are probably familiar with the insane schedule of some travel teams, rec teams, and school teams. (One year, I juggled all three at the same time.) My son Riley plays baseball, and I love watching him play. I'm very grateful that I can make it to most of his games. (Especially that year he was on three teams!) But while I’m spending most of spring at the ballfield, my husband is offshore for the NGOM scallop fishery.

The Coombs family vessel, F/V Wreaking Havoc

The Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) scallop season opens on April 1 each year and runs until the annual quota is reached. In 2024, the Total Allowable Landings (TAL) were set at 454,152 pounds, and the season closed after about 20 days when the quota was caught. The best fishing right now in the NGOM scallop fishery is on Stellwagen Bank, and many Maine fishermen leave their homes to stay in Gloucester, Mass for the season to reduce travel time.

This year, the fishery was supposed to get a nice bump in catch with 675,563 pounds of scallops able to be landed. With the change in Administration, the rule has been held up so that instead of an increase, the season will open under default measures with only 346,996 pounds available before the fishery needs to be shut down. Eventually, the remaining catch will become available once the new rules are passed, but it isn't clear when or how long the fishery will have to be shut before reopening. (You can learn more HERE.)

Fisheries management is incredibly complex, and waiting for updates on quotas, whether it's to close a fishery or potentially reopen it, can be extremely stressful for fishermen and their families. It makes it tough to plan and budget, and for fishermen, waiting to hear if a fishery will reopen feels like being stuck in a holding pattern.

Riley on the pitcher's mound

Mid-March is when I start bringing up the upcoming season at MCFA’s staff meetings. I need to get my ducks in a row so I can balance work with driving my son to baseball activities and making sure his white baseball pants (why!?) are "clean." I jokingly (and lovingly?) call it "NGOM baseball scallop season." Honestly, as my kids have gotten older and the scallop season has gotten shorter, it’s become easier to manage. I’d even say I enjoy it now. But that first year when my husband went to Gloucester while our son was on three teams? That really set a precedent, and I learned that I need to make sure I was prepared for future "NGOM baseball scallop" seasons.

For the most part, wives and partners of Maine lobstermen are fortunate because fishing trips are typically only a day, or at most, a few days. In contrast, many partners of commercial fishermen must manage much longer stretches without their loved ones. So while I do have to manage my time a bit more carefully, I’m thankful that the NGOM season isn’t as long as some other fishing seasons.

I feel incredibly fortunate to work for MCFA, where not only can I advocate for other fishing families like mine, but the culture truly prioritizes family. I have the flexibility to schedule my time around baseball games and driving my son to the ballfields, which makes juggling work during the NGOM scallop season a bit hectic at times. While balancing both is challenging, I'm grateful for the way I get to spend my days. So here’s to an amazing spring, whether on the baseball field or in the NGOM.