Story for the US scallop market in 2025 will be "optionality"

Panelists during the shellfish panel on stage at the Global Seafood Market Conference
The U.S. scallop market in 2025 will be shaped by how flexible retailers and restaurants can be on the sources and sizes of product amid tight supplies | Photo by Chris Chase/SeafoodSource
6 Min

The word of the day for scallops at the 2025 Global Seafood Market Conference (GSMC) was “optionality.”

A panel of experts at the conference – which ran from 21 to 23 January in Palm Desert, California, U.S.A. – said the scallop industry in the U.S. will be heavily influenced by a small quota for scallops in the U.S. Northeast fishery. The New England Fishery Management Council projected landings of 19.75 million pounds for the year, a nearly 28 percent drop from an already down year in 2024.

The supply in Canada is also projected to be down by 39 percent, and the Japanese scallop fisheries are likely to see a lower harvest, according to Marder Seafood Vice President of Sales Brad Marder.

“Just looking ahead into 2025, the two key narratives are flexibility and optionality,” Marder said.

The U.S. also sources scallops from Argentina, Peru, and China – and the timing of the fishing seasons, and the types of products, vary across the six fisheries. Those shifts require the market to adapt to what's available at the time even during years with robust supplies.

The U.S. scallop fishing season typically opens in April, but was delayed this year until 15 May “to improve scallop yield and reduce impacts on Georges Bank yellowtail flounder and northern windowpane flounder.”

“Supply historically has been most abundant over spring and summer months – so when it comes to the frozen segment, this typically has been a good time for frozen commitments and frozen bid processes,” Marder said. “This can vary year to year.”

Domestic U.S. landings, according to NOAA data, start to taper off in September and October. According to U.S. Census data, in 2024 that drop off in domestic supply coincided with an uptick in imports form Japan, China, Canada, Argentina, and Peru.  

“There’s quite a jump in imports, and that really correlates with the latter part of 2024 which is when U.S. supply really started to become more limited,” Marder said. “The import of Japanese scallops really helped to fill the void in sea scallop supply.”

That shift from landings to imports is where “optionality” comes in, with businesses looking for U.S. scallops looking to find alternative sources for the product.

Giant Eagle Director of Seafood Andrew Cline said the need for a shift was obvious on the retail front .…


SeafoodSource Premium

Become a Premium member to unlock the rest of this article.

Continue reading ›

Already a member? Log in ›

Subscribe

Want seafood news sent to your inbox?

You may unsubscribe from our mailing list at any time. Diversified Communications | 121 Free Street, Portland, ME 04101 | +1 207-842-5500
Primary Featured Article