672 



Fishery Bulletin 102(4) 



40"0'0"N 



74=0'0"W 



1 



A 



' Hudson Canyon 

 Controlled Access Area 



Virginia Beach 

 Controlled Access Area 



Mid-Atlantic Controlled Access Areas 

 for the sea scallop fishery 2001 and 2002 



50 Fathom Isobath 



100 Fathom Isobath 



Figure 1 



Mid-Atlantic controlled access areas for the sea scallop fishery 2001 

 and 2002. 



the U.S. commercial scallop fishery operates year-round, 

 the area access program in 2001 began on 1 May, and 

 in 2002 on 1 March, and ended on 28 February follow- 

 ing the respective fishing year (1 March-28 February). 

 Vessels in the controlled access areas fished around 

 the clock for approximately 5-12 days, accomplishing 

 between 40 and 160 hauls per trip. Dredges in the con- 

 trolled areas were generally fished at depths between 

 45 and 75 m. The average haul duration was about 1 

 hour. Most vessels fished two dredges simultaneously 

 (one from each side of the vessel), which were generally 

 either 3.9 or 4.5 m (13 or 15 ft) wide. 



Vessels in the Mid-Atlantic typically fish with a New 

 Bedford style scallop dredge equipped for soft-bottom 

 substrates. In this configuration, tickler chains strung 

 from the sweep chain run horizontally between the 



dredge frame and the ring bag and are designed to 

 raise scallops off the bottom and into the bag. Turtles 

 become entrapped in the ring bag or on the dredge 

 frame. For dredging on hard bottom, such as in New 

 England, vertical up and down chains hang over the 

 tickler chains, preventing boulders from entering the 

 ring bag (Smolowitz, 1998). New Bedford style scallop 

 dredges have also been used in U.S. fisheries in the 

 Pacific (PSMFC 1 ). 



1 Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC I. 

 2003. Description of fishing gears used on the Pacific 

 Coast, http://pcouncil.org/habitat/geardesc.pdf. [Accessed 

 6 April 2004.] 



