The RI Department of Environmental Management has announced that the bay scallop harvest season opens Saturday, October 4 at sunrise and continues until December 31. Non-license holders cannot sell their scallops. Harvesters are reminded that possession of seed scallops is prohibited.
Legal scallops possess a defined, raised, annual growth ring.
Since bay scallops commonly live only 20 - 26 months and will ultimately die if left unharvested, dredges will be allowed in those areas beginning November 15 for harvesting remaining adult scallops residing in deeper waters. Harvesting bay scallops with diving apparatus is also prohibited in Charlestown, Green Hill, and Quonochontaug Ponds until November 15. DEM's Division of Fish and Wildlife is in the third year of a scallop restoration project in Narragansett Bay. Hatchery reared scallops and scallops from spat collectors have been transplanted to selected areas of the Bay and monitored for growth and survival. Scallops planted in previous years produced small sets of bay scallops in adjacent areas, most notably Greene's River, Hog Island, and Bristol Harbor.