New Regulations for the Niantic River

A number of new laws went into effect today but only one of them was written with the Niantic River in mind. It's "An Act Concerning Aquatic Animals as Food and the taking of Scallops from the Niantic River."   

So what does that mean for local scallopers? It boils down to this. The act increases the minimum size of scallops taken from the Niantic River from two to two-and-a-half inches. It also allows the Waterford-East Lyme shellfish commission to increase or decrease the daily limit of scallops a person can take, rather than just increase it.

By law, the Waterford-East Lyme shellfish commission may regulate the taking of scallops, clams, and oysters from the Niantic River. Previously, the law prohibited taking any scallop that passes through a two-inch ring and no one way allowed to take more than three bushels of scallops a day. The commission could increase the daily limit after it had been in place for 30 days but it could not decrease that limit.

The new law prohibits "taking any scallop that passes through a two-and-a-half-inch ring, thereby increasing the minimum size of scallops that a person may take. It maintains the three-bushel limit, but the commission may increase or decrease it after 30 days."

"Anyone caught violating the new law is now subject to a fine of up to $200, imprisonment of up to 10 days, or both. Upon conviction, the court may order that the violator cannot hold a permit or license to take shellfish in the Niantic River until the second season following the conviction," the law reads.