ELLSWORTH — Maine is holding lotteries for licenses for people hoping to enter one of the most lucrative fisheries in the state.
The state is home to a near-shore scallop fishery that was worth about $6 million last year.
The volume of the fishery is much smaller than Maine’s famous lobster fishery, but the scallops are typically worth more to fishermen on a per-pound basis.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources says there will be two license lotteries.
One will be for six licenses to operate a drag boat for scallops and the other will be for four licenses to dive for scallops. Most scallops in the state are harvested via boat. New licenses are issued when existing licenses are surrendered.
The state says the lottery applications are open now and will remain open until 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 8.
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