Draft legislation that would move the start of the scallop season here from the third Monday in October to the Sunday after the first Monday in November was floated by Nicholas Coritsidis, an assistant town attorney, at last week’s town board work session. It would take effect in both East Hampton Town and town trustee waters. A public hearing on the proposal will be held at the board’s meeting next Thursday.
While the town board and trustees are empowered by the town code to alter the opening and closing dates of seasons (the town board has jurisdiction over only Lake Montauk in this regard), the bodies typically follow the lead of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which sets the opening date for state waters. In recent years that date has stabilized, and is usually the first Monday in November.
John Aldred of the trustees said that the third Monday in October was an anachronism in the code that necessitated yearly resolutions from both the town board and the trustees to push the dates back.
“The town typically opens after the state opens their waters,” he said in a phone call. “That used to give the baymen a chance to harvest in state waters without having to worry about losing product in the town waters. Opening town waters on a Sunday then gives people a chance who are hand-harvesting to get the first crack at the season.” Dredging for scallops is prohibited on Sundays.
Last year, the town board didn’t pass a resolution moving the date back to match the state, and harvesting started in Lake Montauk at the end of October, causing confusion.
“It makes sense to change the code,” Mr. Aldred said. “It sets it as the first Sunday after the state’s opening date. In the future, even if the state changes their date, the town will default to opening after.”
