Survey groups informed the New England Fishery Management Council that scallop biomass in key areas of the fishery are much lower as substantial year-classes begin to age.
Landings in the U.S. scallop fishery have been steadily dropping since a high in 2019, when the fishery caught nearly 60.5 million pounds. Landings in 2020 represented a significant drop to just 47.5 million pounds, or a drop of 21 percent. Now, the NEFMC Scallop Plan Development Team is estimating that the fishery will catch roughly 39 million pounds in 2021, 35 percent lower than the high in 2019.
Current biomass surveys indicate that 2022 may see even lower landings than 2021, due to substantially lower biomass in areas that formed the bulk of the banner seasons.
“Overall, the survey groups discovered that biomass in the Mid-Atlantic Access Area is down substantially,” a release from the NEFMC said. “While blips of pre-recruit scallops occasionally were found, the survey teams did not see signs of another strong incoming year class.”
Most of the scallops still in the area, the surveys found, are from the 2013 year class that resulted in a banner year for the fishery. That year-class, however, “has run its course,” and fishing activity in the region is “expected to be minimal.”
Areas that did show signs of recruitment were the Nantucket Lightship West and New York Bight areas. According to a release, the council is considering rotational closures of the area to protect concentrations of small scallops in order to give them time to grow to a more harvestable size.
“Establishing a rotational closure in the New York Bight would provide an opportunity to improve yields for all scallops, especially the smaller ones, and increase the potential for downstream recruitment to the Hudson Canyon and Elephant Trunk areas in the Mid-Atlantic, as recent research suggests is possible,” the NEFMC release said.
Actual estimates of 2022 landings will be created as the council begins its discussions on Framework 34, which will propose the specifications for the 2022 fishing year. Final action on Framework 34 will be taken during the councils meeting on 7 through 9 December.
Scallop prices have been high due to the reduced landings, with prices for the largest market grades (U10s and U12s) reaching as much as USD 30 (EUR 25) per pound.
Photo courtesy of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science
