VIMS to Expand Restoration of Seagrass, Bay Scallops on Eastern Shore

A team led by researchers at William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science will use a $2.25 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to expand their already successful efforts to restore seagrass and scallops to the seaside bays of Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

During the four-year project, led by Christopher Patrick and Richard Snyder of VIMS, scientists from the institute and its Eastern Shore Lab will join with staff and volunteers from The Nature Conservancy to plant at least...

Japan: March Scallop Exports Down to the US and EU, Preparations Up 5.2 Folds to Hong Kong

According to the Ministry of Finance's customs statistics, scallop exports in March 2023, mainly frozen scallops, declined for the U.S. and EU but remained steady in Asian countries such as Hong Kong and Taiwan. Whole scallops in shells destined for China decreased. Sales of prepared products grew 2.2 times. Suisan Shimbun reports that live scallop exports, destined primarily for South Korea, are increasing.

The volume of shucked products, which consist mainly of frozen adductors, decreased by 6% to 1,082 tons...

Maine’s Commercial Fisheries Value for 2022 Drops 37% From 2021

Maine’s Department of Marine Resources has released the 2022 commercial fisheries value. And while the figure is a 37% drop from the record in 2021, it’s still an impressive figure and on par with recent averages. 

According to the Maine DMR, in 2022 harvesters in the state earned $574,049,682. This figure is 37% less  than the 2021 reported value of $890,668,873. However the DMR says that it is “still consistent with the average value of all Maine commercially harvested marine resources between 2011 and 2020, which was...

Hokkaido Scallop Fishery in Okhotsk Sea Projects More Than 300,000 Tons for the New Season

The new season of the scallop fishery in the Okhotsk region of Hokkaido, which starts in March, is expected to land more than 300,000 tons. From 2019, it will maintain a high level of 300,000 tons for five consecutive years. However, some officials of fishery cooperatives voiced concerns about the blizzard's impact on the scallop fishing grounds in late December last year, and Suisan Keizai reports that there are uncertainties.

A Suisan Keizai reporter asked each fishery cooperative from Soya to Abashiri (12 fishery cooperatives)...

Hokkaido Scallop Season Closed with 325,100 Tons, 2% Short of Last Year’s Record

By December 20, the three fisheries cooperatives of Tokoro, Saroma, and Yubetsu around Lake Saroma had finished harvesting scallops in the Okhotsk area of Hokkaido, ending the season. The final total landing was 325,100 tons (preliminary figure), which was 2% below last year's record high, but maintained a high level of over 300,000 tons for four consecutive years.

The landing of Okhotsk scallops will begin in earnest in June, and each fisheries cooperative will gradually cease operations in November. Only three fisheries cooperatives around Lake Saroma...

Fisheries Survival Fund Encourages NEFMC to Open Closed Scallop Areas Following New Research

Following the release of new research, the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) is encouraging the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) to open currently closed scallop areas.

Commercial fishing activity in the Northern Edge of Georges Bank has been prohibited since 1994. Researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution began to conduct a “long-term, before and after' experiment, fishing certain areas of the Northern Edge, and comparing their recovery over a six year period with areas that had not been disturbed....

Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Increase Export Budget Request

In its FY2023 budget request, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) requested JPY 14.13 billion ($97.72 million) for export-related items, an increase of 31% from the initial budget for FY2022. The budget request is based on three pillars: "strengthening overseas sales capabilities through joint efforts of the public and private sectors," "supporting businesses that take on the challenge of exporting with a market-oriented concept," and "overcoming obstacles to exports through governmental cooperation," Minato Shimbun reported.

In 2020, the government formulated a strategy to expand exports of agricultural, forestry...

Plant Based Seafood Co.’s Mind Blown Partners With Atlantic Sea Farms

It’s a partnership made in plant-based seafood heaven. Mind Blown, by The Plant Based Seafood Co., announced this week that they have partnered with Atlantic Sea Farms to use kelp in some of their select products.

Atlantic Sea Farms is the first-to-market regenerative kelp aquaculture company. As part of the partnership, Atlantic Sea Farms kelp will be added to the Mind Blown brand Dusted Shrimp and Mind Blown brand Dusted Scallops. The products, which will now feature an extra umami boost, will be available to...

Cooke’s Daniels Trawlers Acquies 3 Scallop Vessels From Blue Harvest Fisheries

Daniels Trawlers, which is minority-owned by Cooke, has acquired three U.S. scallop vessels from Blue Harvest Fisheries.

With the closing of the deal, Daniels Trawlers now has 17 vessels in its fleet. Earlier this year they had acquired two other scallop vessels that had previously been owned by Blue Harvest. 

Blue Harvest’s decision to sell off some of their scallop harvesting assets came after Chip Wilson took over as president from Keith Decker earlier this year. The company’s participation in...

The Stars of 2021 Lights Have Dimmed - Crab, Lobster, And Scallop All Down

This summer we are finding the highly prized premium seafood are losing pace with other lower value food items, resulting in lower sales and prices. King crab, snow crab, lobster and scallops were major stars for the pandemic and all of 2021. But no longer. Consumer behavior has changed!

The U.S. buyer confidence fell for the 3rd straight month. High prices on gas, groceries, and housing are a key factor. Consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of total economic output, rose only at...

Faroe Island Queen Scallop Fisheries Land MSC Certification

The Faroe Island queen scallop fishery achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, per an announcement from the group.

The fishery is operated by one company, O.C. Joensen, who is also the fishery client, and this stock has been harvested from one vessel for decades, the MSC shared. The date of eligibility for this certification is September 1, so any product caught after that date can display the MSC ecolabel.

Gisli Gislason, Program Director North Atlantic says: “This fishery has demonstrated it complies with the rigorous MSC fisheries standard and offers another excellent...

ANALYSIS: Scallop Supply Shows Improvement; Select Sizes, Origins Adjust

Year-to-date scallop imports for the first three months of the year report the highest volume on record since 2014. The first quarter of 2022 brought in 20.8 million pounds of scallops, a 43.4 percent increase compared to 2021 and a 116.8 percent increase when compared to 2020.

Most notable is the shift in origin of the leading supplier of scallops. Typically, China exports the most volume to the U.S., however, Japan has imported 7.6 million pounds, or 35 percent of...

Final Management Measures For 2023 Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Released

On Friday NOAA released the final management measures for the 2023 Atlantic sea scallop fishery, which begins April 1, 2023 and runs through March 31, 2024.

Framework 36 was created to establish scallop specifications and other managements for 2023 and 2024. Based on the rule there is a projected landing of 25 million pounds of sea scallops, which is a 9 million pound reduction for 2022’s projected landings. According to NOAA this is “primarily due to a decrease in harvestable biomass and a lack of significant scallop...

Japan: 2022 Frozen Scallop Exports Record 111,392 MT, JPY 81.1 Billion, Up by 17% and 51%

According to trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance on January 27, exports of frozen scallops (shell-on and shell-off combined) in 2022 reached 111,392 tons, an increase of 17% from the previous year. It was also a 51% increase in value to 81.1 billion ($618.23 million), surpassing the previous year's record in volume, and value, which was the highest since 1988 when the current HS code system was introduced. Due to strong overseas demand and the effect of the weaker...

Lund’s Fisheries Makes Investment in Their Scallop Operations; Acquires New Tunnel Freezer 

Lund’s Fisheries is beginning the year with a major new investment in their scallop operations. On Thursday the company announced that they’ve acquired a new tunnel freezer for their Cape May, New Jersey, facility.

The freezer is designed and built by manufacturing firm Skaginn 3X from the BAADER group. The $2 million investment will allow the company to increase their freezing capabilities to 6,000 pounds per hour, which is double their currency freezing capacity. It also allows for more flexibility in their operations as it gives Lund’s...

NEFMC Signs Off on Framework 36 For 2023 Scallop Fishing Year

The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) met this week and took final action on the 2023 fishing year specifications for the Atlantic sea scallop fishery. They say that the measures selected are “projected to result in roughly 25 million pounds of landings valued at roughly $398 million.” To compare, this year was 34 million pounds.

Despite biomass being down “considerably” over the past few years, the NEFMC reports that scallops are “not overfished and overfishing is not occurring.” They also referred back to a 2022 survey that...

Japan: August Scallop Exports Declined for Two Months in a Row

According to the Ministry of Finance's customs statistics, Japan's scallop exports in August decreased by 30% for frozen scallop adductors, falling below last year's level for the second consecutive month. The U.S., EU, Taiwan, and Hong Kong also slowed down. Prepared products increased by 5.5 times and were strong in China and Southeast Asia. Exports to South Korea have increased for 12 consecutive months, reported Suisan Shimbun.

Exports of frozen adductors decreased by 30% in volume to 1,133 tons, decreased 12% in value to...

NEFMC Not Moving Forward With Scallop License Allocation

The New England Fishery Management Council is not moving forward with the development of a scallop license allocation leasing program for a limited access fishery. 

Scallop allocation leasing would have allowed a boat owner to sell days and tonnage from a fishing license to another vessel owner to harvest in restricted zones. The topic has been up for debate for months before it was ultimately discussed on Tuesday at the September Council Meeting in Gloucester. 

Prior to the meeting, the council said that of the 286 commenters who spoke out during the...

Hokkaido Okhotsk Frozen Scallops 20% Higher in Price Led by Exports, Focusing on US Demand

By the end of July, nearly 60% of the quota along the coast of Okhotsk in Hokkaido had been harvested. Exports led the distribution of frozen scallop adductors, focusing on how much the United States will procure for the Christmas sales season while maintaining high market prices. A source from a trading company said, "At this point, there are no factors that will cause the market to fall. It will depend on exchange rates and exports in the future," reported Minato Shimbun...

Man Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Jail for Scallop Boat Murder Off Massachusetts

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced that a Virginia man was sentenced to just shy of 20 years in prison for committing murder aboard a scallop vessel off the coast of Massachusetts in 2018.

Franklin Freddy Meave Vazquez, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to 235 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on August 11, per a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ)...

Japan: Strong Export Market Driving Prices of Frozen Hokkaido Scallop, Discouraging Domestic Buyers

The landing of scallops is at its peak in the Okhotsk district of Hokkaido. The distribution of frozen scallop adductors, the main processed product, has formed a high price range, driven by overseas demand due to declined production in the United States and the depreciation of the yen. In addition to mass retailers, domestic demand is said to be reluctant in the foodservice industry, and many processers say that the market has reached its limit, reported Minato Shimbun...

Hokkaido FY2022 Scallop Landing Projection 296,000 Tons, Down 12%

Scallop dredge fishing along the Okhotsk coast, Hokkaido, started in May. The landing plan for FY2022 (April 2022 to March 2023) is 296,030 tons, a decrease of 12% from the previous year's results. In the previous year, the growth of shellfish was good, and wild shellfish increased in some areas, setting a new record, Minato Shimbun reported.

The Sarufutsu Village Fisheries Cooperative started a full-scale operation on May 1. In the main operating area 1 (north side) in the first half of the month (May 1-15)...

Japan’s April Exports: Frozen Scallops to China Up 90%, Frozen Yellowtail to the U.S. Up 80%

According to the trade statistics released by the Ministry of Finance, the volume of marine product exports (preliminary figures, fish and shellfish, their preparations, and fish meal) in April was 82,077 tons, which was about the same as the same month of the previous year. The value increased by 29% to 33,516 million yen ($258.39 million). Frozen scallops and yellowtail fillets both exceeded the same month last year. Minato Shimbun reported that the total volume was about the...