Harvesters

David Tarr

Scallops

Diver Scallops refers to the method of harvesting. Instead of being dredged, these scallops are harvested by hand by scuba divers. This is incredibly labor intensive, but far less damaging to the environment than dredging the ocean floor with nets. The scallops are able to live in the nooks and crannies of the rocks and inlets. Maine is the only place in the US still with licensed, professional diver-harvesters.

Diners beware: some restaurants offer diver scallops at a higher price, while in fact, they aren’t divers at all. The Maine diving season is between December and March. So if you see “Diver Scallops” on the menu, ask the chef if he knows the name of the diver! If your fishmonger has “divers”, he will know his name as each lot is labeled by fisherman and place of harvest.