Japanese scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) fisheries represented by Hokkaido Gyoren (Hokkaido Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations), with the largest scallop harvest in the world, are entering into Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) full assessment.
Together, the two enhanced scallop fisheries, hanging (‘Suika-shiki’) and seabed ranching and dredge (‘Keta-Ami”), harvested 433,000 metric tonnes (un-shucked) in 2008 — the world’s largest landing of scallop of its kind. The catch has been exported mainly to Europe and Southeast Asia.
The Hokkaido Gyoren’s Japanese scallop hanging fishery operates in the Funca bay and the Japan Sea. The seabed culture fishery operates around the north east coast in the Sea of Okhotsk and the eastern side of Hokkaido in the Nemuro Straits. Both fisheries initially collect spat from the wild and operate along the coast 1 km to 10 km offshore in waters that are 15 to 50 meters deep. The Department of Fisheries and Forestry of the Hokkaido Prefecture maintains management responsibility for both fisheries.
Read the complete story at FIS World News.