August 18, 2025 — The following transcript is by WKU:
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
New Bedford, Massachusetts, calls itself the scallop capital of the world, and on Thursday, the city celebrated Scallopalooza. It’s an event close to the city’s working waterfront that celebrates the Atlantic sea scallop and the people who work on the boats. Caroline Losneck has this audio postcard.
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER #1: So while we’re setting up for our scallop shucking contest, which is…
CAROLINE LOSNECK: Like most festivals, Scallopalooza’s fun, but scallops are serious business here. They’re central to the city’s identity and culture. The highlight is a raucous shucking contest where over a dozen local scallopers face off in heats, all up on a stage, to see who can remove the meat from the shell the cleanest and fastest. And spectators in the front rows probably even get some scallop parts on them as a memento.
JOE RITTER: We certainly hope people are going to have a shucking good time at this event.
LOSNECK: Joe Ritter works at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and helped organize Scallopalooza.
RITTER: And the top fisherman from each round is going to go up in the finals, and they’re going to compete for the title of New Bedford’s best shucker. They’re going to get a trophy, and they’re going to get bragging rights, too.
LOSNECK: The impact of the species here is massive. About 80% of the seafood by value that arrives on the docks are from scallops.
RITTER: I would say scallops are to New Bedford like corn and soybeans are to Illinois or Indiana.