The rodeo is in town! It has been here for over three weeks and this year it’s a doozy!
Yes, I am talking about the return of the bay scalloping season and the race is on!
How do I know? Well, I believe the expression is “anecdotally.” That is, I haven’t had to worry about getting run over in my tiny winter-sailing Sunfish for over a decade now.
But yow! Of late, it’s dodgeball time out there at certain times of day — get the heck off to the side and stay there — you’re a sitting duck!
Even when the coast seem clear, these large/small boats come shooting along, brimming with catch and heading for payday. Large/small boats I call ‘em because most are modified lobster boats with a large overhead rear crane for dragging and retrieving their scallop dredges on the catch. Don’t get between them and their destination, which is often Cape Ann Lobstermen down in the south fork behind its new restaurant The Lobster of Gloucester (as a landmark for passing East Main Street drivers). Around 70 of the hard-working teams offload there, providing the fish store and restaurant with exquisitely fresh scallops.
A bay scallop is a medium-sized scallop. Not those little-bitty ones or those elephant-sized ones.The total fleet ranges between 80 and 100 boats and comes from outta town, mostly Maine. They are spread wherever there are berths, which this time of year, is everywhere. You can see them parked at our harbor piers and 15-20 are moored right out in the center of the Inner Harbor. But the biggest batch of boats is out in the Blynman Canal up at Mile Marker One at Cape Ann Marina. Their canal day begins around 4 a.m. when they line up and process though the Cut Bridge in one dramatic early morning, lit-up boat parade. Would love to see that in person. Then off they go.
They are allowed to haul in 200 pounds a day each but it’s not always a sure thing every pass. Each boat throws out its dredge. Some boats and dredges are bigger than others. Some might get the quota on two dredges, some on four to six. Even so, these metal dredges are much smaller versions of the New Bedford scallopers’ dredges. The bay ones are the size of an extra-large mattress; the New Bedford ones are more like the size of a Dodge Charger on far bigger boats that go way out into the ocean for their catch for days and days.
Not so with this fleet. They fish all day and come in with their catch. But often, either in the case of coming bad or excessively windy weather, they go out at dawn, make their quota, return, offload, then get underway again and fish until midnight where they wait off the breakwater until 12:01 a.m. Then they can come back in and declare that load legally for the next day when they offload. They don’t gain a day, but they don’t lose a day either. Then they can give the crew a day off in a stressful 3-week marathon and/or ride out a storm.
There have been spectacular pods of dolphins frolicking in the Inner Harbor this year that have followed the fleet into the harbor. We’ve seen their sleek forms in the channel through our school racing practices. They are a hoot and love to play.
The bay scallop season began April 1. With an extension, it will last three weeks this year. Then off they sail for the next bit of season in the next quadrant. Apparently, it’s been a great year for bay scalloping. Great quality scallops and great dough for the hard-working crews. No wonder the rodeo is in galloping mode.
And by the way, if you’re wondering why you don’t recall this burst of traffic and activity in past Gloucester Aprils, this is only the third year of the bay scallop rodeo season. So tip your hats to a short-term boat population explosion. It’s great, it’s profitable. And for three weeks, it feels like the old days.
Gloucester resident Gordon Baird is an actor and musician, co-founder of Musician Magazine and producer of “The Chicken Shack” community access TV show.