Harvesting ban hopes to see return of healthy sea scallop numbers.
Hervey Bay scallops will no longer be in Queensland restaurants after trawlers have been banned from harvesting them off the coast of Queensland.
After a steep decline in numbers, the state government has decided to ban trawlers between Hervey Bay and Mackay.
Spokesperson for the Australian Marine Conservation Society, Simon Miller says scallops in the region have been overfished to dangerously low levels.
The state government says the industry will remain banned in this area until biomass level reaches 30%, a figure Mr Miller says might not be reached for 16 years.