Each week on WBSM in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Bob Vanasse of Saving Seafood joins host Phil Paleologos to discuss issues related to the fisheries with news-making guests.
The late opening of Closed Area 1 in the scallop fishery resulted in a derby that resembled a city at sea, according to a description in the Standard-Times. The area was closed for so long that many scallops being caught are dead or diseased. Others are older. Older scallops develop a gray appearance, which makes them less marketable and less valuable. When they get very old, the meat becomes stringy and unpalatable. Some of the grey scallops are still young enough to be eaten and are currently being landed, though they are commanding low prices at the docks. Contrary to their coloring, however, the gray scallops that are still young enough to bring to shore can be as tasty as their younger, whiter counterparts, if just a bit less tender. In this Saving Seafood episode, Dr. Kevin Stokesbury — chairman of the Fisheries Oceanography department at UMass Dartmouth — provides a scientific grounding for these discussions and details the pros and cons of closed area management. Captain Paul Tetreault, a long-time scalloper, describes what his crew saw on a recent trip into the closed area and shares his insights on the many challenges of scallop harvesting. And Chef Victor Viera from the Country Club of New Bedford conducts an on-air cooking and taste test of white and gray scallops.
[listen to this latest episode at Saving Seafood Radio]