Peconic Bay scallops experienced a historic die-off in 2019. Now, Long Island baymen are having trouble finding any harvestable scallops in time for this season.
Experts that study the bay say the mortality rate of adult scallops was nearly 100 percent last year. The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation says it will help look into why some scallops endured such a die-off.
The agency says it doesn’t plan on placing new limits on harvesting because of the financial struggle for baymen. Ecologist Stephen Tettlebach told Newsday that red-nosed rays and a parasite helped kill off Peconic Bay scallops last year.
In the meantime, research is being conducted into a breeding scallops that can resist disease, warm water, and low-oxygen.