2026 Maine Scallop License Lottery Winners Announced

AUGUSTA, Maine - The Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR) has announced the latest winners of the state's scallop license lotteries. The winners include the following:

Drag Licenses

• Tabor Horton, Blue Hill
• Reese Jones, Sedgwick
• Aaron Simmons, Bremen
• Harrison Rossi, Milbridge
• Cody Jodway, Lubec
• Scott Moody, Harpswell
• Rand Beattie, Birch Harbor
• Cole Poland, Bremen

Dive Licenses

• Dan Vogel, Orland
• David Cale, Machiasport
• Jay Joslyn, Harpswell

Each winner is responsible for applying for a scallop drag apprentice license within 30 days of notification and have two complete scallop seasons to complete the scallop drag apprenticeship requirements.

The new licenses are the result of a limited entry system established by the legislature and originally implemented through regulation in June 2018. New amendments to the existing scallop drag lottery were approved in August 2026 that now require completing an apprenticeship before applying for a commercial scallop drag license.

Under the regulation, each year two individuals will be awarded eligibility for a drag license through the lottery for every three individuals who did not renew their drag license in the previous calendar year.

This year there were 54 entries for dive licenses and 303 entries for drag licenses. With $50 of each lottery entry fee deposited into DMR's Scallop Research Fund, a total of $17,850 was raised to support scallop research and management.

Lottery winners were chosen at random by InforME, an enterprise created in 1997 by state law to ensure access to public information through technological solutions.

Information on the scallop fishery can be found at https://www.maine.gov/dmr/fisheries/commercial/fisheries-by-species/scallops