Scallop quotas in the U.S. Northeast have fallen sharply in recent years, with the New England Fishery Management Council projecting landings of just 17.1 million pounds in 2026 – a dramatic decline from the record 60 million pounds harvested in 2019.
Left with a dwindling supply of local scallops, companies in the region have had to rely more on imports – a situation that has been made more complicated by U.S. President Donald Trump’s ever-changing tariff program.
For Ken Melanson, CEO of New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based seafood supplier Northern Wind, contending with low scallop quotas is not a new issue. In the mid-1990s, average scallop landings dropped below 16 million pounds, following a number of new management measures introduced in response to overfishing.
“The domestic quota, everyone basically thought it was over with. That’s when we started bringing in imports,” Melanson told SeafoodSource in a recent podcast interview. “We’re seasoned at this stuff now, but the tariffs [have] obviously changed the game just a bit.”
Northern Wind imports its scallops from various countries including Japan, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Mexico, and China, all of which faced varying degrees of tariffs from Trump in the past year.
“It’s just very unstable right now. Almost every fishery has a season, so you have to buy in those seasons if you want to get the ultimate price. But, you got be real careful … if it [has] a tariff on it when you bring it in today and it doesn't have it tomorrow,” Melanson said.
In the wake of decreasing scallop quotas, Northern Wind has turned to consolidation.
In 2019, it was acquired by Washington D.C., U.S.A.-based ACON Investments, merging with Suncoast Seafood and Raymond O’Neill & Son Fisheries to create a new entity named Atlantic Sustainable Catch.
Then, in late 2024, Atlantic Sustainable Catch announced its acquisition of Atlantic Cape Fisheries, with Northern Wind taking over the processing and sales divisions of the company.
“[ACON] has the same vision I had to consolidate the industry, and that’s what we did,” Melanson said.
Since acquiring Atlantic Cape Fisheries, Melanson said Northern Wind is back to a full-time crew, with over 200 employees working inside the company’s four facilities.
The acquisition has also allowed Northern Wind to expand into value-added offerings. Melanson said the company will be launching its new value-added skillet meals at the 2026 Seafood Expo North America, held in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., from 15 to 17 March.
“Throughout 2026, you'll see launches on a somewhat regular basis on the products that we pick and choose,” he said. “Right now, we're dealing with shrimp and scallops inside of a pasta and a rice skillet. It's a 10- to 12-minute dish that is one serving or two servings.”
As for the future of the U.S. Northeast scallop industry, Melanson said Northern Wind is hopeful that quotas will go back up.
“We certainly think the scallop industry has a future … I started my own business at 25, and I’d like to see it continue on with hopefully increased fishing quotas,” he said.
