Bay Scallops

Between 2009 and 2014 in the United States, 97.3% of bay scallop landings occurred in New York and Massachusetts. At least 75% of all US bay scallop landings are made in Massachusetts. There is also a fishery in North Carolina.  A recreational fishery exists in Florida, but not a commercial fishery.

Today, abundance in New York and Massachusetts is low relative to its historical abundance before the 1980s. The population decreased sharply in the 1980s and again between 1992-1996. Brown tides and water quality degradation that damaged essential eelgrass habitat were responsible for mass scallop mortality in the 1980s, and a second brown tide event in 1995 was responsible for the second decrease. Landings began to increase in 2004, but today populations have only partially recovered to pre-1980s levels. This is likely due to low densities of spawning stock which leads to low fertilization success. Eelgrass beds, its optimal habitat, have also declined. Formal stock assessments are not conducted, but landings suggest low biomass.

Bay scallop populations in North Carolina never recovered completely from a red tide in 1987 and hurricanes throughout the 1990s. The stock is now vulnerable to environmental events, cownose ray predation, and fishing, making the current status depleted. Under a Bay Scallop Management Plan, the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries closed both the commercial and recreational season indefinitely to allow for population recovery.

Specific aspects of the bay scallop fishery are regulated at the state-level, such as:

• Size limit
• Daily catch limit
• Seasonal closures
• Gear restrictions
• Open and closed areas for shellfish harvest

Other management decisions such as bycatch limits and habitat closures are made at the local level. Permits may be required for harvest within their jurisdiction.  

Bay scallops are also farmed in addition to being wild-caught. In general, scallops account for the second greatest proportion of global mollusk aquaculture production. Two major aquaculture operations exist in the United States in Massachusetts and Florida. The US also imports farmed scallops from China, ranging from 4,400 to 15,400 tons (4 million to 14 million kilograms). About half of US scallop consumption (including other scallop species) is imported.

Scallop aquaculture production methods include spat collection and sowing culture, hatchery, nursery, and grow-out. There are minimal concerns regarding common aquaculture features such as effluent, operational impacts on habitat, indirect mortality of other species, chemical usage, escapes, disease, and sourcing for broodstock.

Much of the stock for farmed scallops comes from natural or passive settlement. The removal of wild scallops, however, is not expected to have negative impacts on the wild stock. In fact, it is beneficial in reducing the ecological risks associated with domestication selection across generations.