The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) voted to enact Framework 39 for the 2025 scallop fishing season – which includes a significant drop in the scallop allowable catch.
The latest scallop fishing framework places annual projected landings at 19.75 million pounds, a nearly 28 percent drop from the 27.4 million pounds projected for 2024. A press release from the NEFMC predicted the catch would generate roughly USD 348.25 million (EUR 329 million) for the fishery.
The decrease in total allowable catch comes after scientific surveys of the scallop fishing areas off the coast of the Northeast U.S. showed the biomass decreased from 2023 to 2024. Surveys performed in 2024 by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology, Maine Department of Marine Resources, and the Coonamessett Farm Foundation showed the biomass dropped in multiple regions.
“The population of harvestable-sized scallops expected to be available for the 2025 fishing year also remains low and may result in reduced allocations to the fishery,” a NEFMC press release predicted in October.
Those predictions proved true, and now the 2025 season is set to continue a downward trend for the scallop fishery. The allowable catch peaked in 2019 with a historically high harvest of over 60 million pounds, and since then steadily dropped with the fishery landing 47.5 million pounds in 2020, 43 million pounds in 2021, 31.5 million pounds in 2022, and 24 million pounds in 2023.
The Fisheries Survival Fund – which was established to advocate for the long-term sustainability of the Northeast U.S. scallop stock – supported the council’s decision and advocated for it to select Framework 39 before the council meeting. The organization said the allocations “reflect the need for pragmatic balancing” of fishing effort in the region to ensure the continued success of the fishery.
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell also wrote to the council in support of Framework 39. New Bedford, Massachusetts is consistently ranked among one of the top ports by value in the U.S. – in part thanks to the high value of the scallop fishery.
“The scallop industry is a cornerstone of New Bedford's economy, supporting not only fishermen and their families, but also the numerous shoreside businesses that rely on its success,” Mitchell wrote.
In addition to setting a lower quota, the council also proposed closures for a number of fishing access areas. Elephant Trunk, Nantucket Lightship north and south, and Platts Bank will all be closed to fishing in 2025.
NEFMC supported allocating full-time scallop permit holders two ...
