Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) today thanks the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for their swift decision to extend the open season for bay scallop harvesting one additional month to April 30, 2015.

After hearing from local baymen about the extent of prolonged ice coverage of the bays this winter, Assemblyman Thiele lobbied the Department of Environmental Conservation to extend the season, which was slated to end on March 31, 2015.

“I thank Commissioner Joe Martens for listening to the concerns of our local baymen. The significant ice-over of some of the most productive scallop grounds in the Peconic put our baymen out of work for weeks. By extending the scallop season in State waters for one additional month, our baymen will be able to make up for lost time, filtering money back into our economy.”