Originally three fishing areas off the Island’s west coast were closed at the start of the king scallop fishing season on 1st November after higher than normal levels of domoic acid were detected.
But then on November 11th, the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture announced that two of the closed areas, Bradda and Chickens, would reopen for king scallop fishing after levels of the acid fell to satisfactory levels.
However, levels have risen again in recent days and DEFA has today (20th November) closed the Bradda area until levels decrease.
They went on to state that regular testing will determine when Bradda and the other area that remains closed, off Peel, can reopen and the industry will of course be kept fully informed.
The DEFA reiterated that scallops are perfectly safe to eat. Fishing off the east coast is unaffected and started on schedule on 1st November. The season runs until 31st May.
