Saving Seafood

Council Proposes Catch Limits for Scallops and Some Groundfish Stocks

December 12, 2025 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

SCALLOPS: COUNCIL SETS 36 DAS, APPROVES NGOM MEASURES, AND ADOPTS STRATEGIC PLAN

The Council approved Framework Adjustment 40, which sets 36 Days-at-Sea (DAS) for full-time Limited Access scallop vessels for FY 2026. The decision followed extensive debate on alternatives ranging from the Scallop Committee’s recommendation of 34 DAS to the Advisory Panel’s preferred option of 38 DAS. Scientific analysis indicated low overfishing risk under all alternatives. The discussion included testimony from Massachusetts State Senator Mark Montigny and numerous industry representatives.

The final action adopted:

  • 36 Days-at-Sea for full-time Limited Access permit holders and 14.4 Days-at-Sea for part-time

    Limited Access permit holders. No access-area trips will be available this year.

  • Closure of Area II (Closed Area II – South and Extension) and Nantucket Lightship (South and

    North).

  • A 60-day carryover period for FY 2025 access-area trips to Area I would begin on April 1. Area I would not have a delayed opening from April 1, 2026 – May 15, 2026.

The Council advanced measures affecting the Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM), which resulted in 482,753 lb. total allowable landings (TAL) and a 437,867-lb. NGOM set-aside for FY 2026. The change accounts for a decline in exploitable scallop biomass across the NGOM, including on Stellwagen Bank, where the majority of fishing effort is expected to occur in FY 2026.

Finally, the Council unanimously approved the Scallop Long-Term Strategic Plan, a 3- to 5-year roadmap built from public input, research needs, and industry priorities. The plan, which is based on robust public input, outlines nine objectives aimed at a sustainable, resilient, and profitable fishery and will guide new projects launching in 2026.

VIRGINIA: Bay scallop population bounces back after extinction threat in the Eastern Shore

October 13, 2025 — Bay scallops were once “locally extinct” in the Eastern Shore — however, restoration work from local research groups has resulted in the population “multiplying exponentially.”

William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences along with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s Eastern Shore Laboratory (VIMS ESL) led the initiative to bring back the bay scallop population.

Read the full article at WTKR

VIRGINIA: Bay scallops surge on the Eastern Shore

October 9, 2025 — The following story originally appeared on the website for W&M’s Batten School & VIMS. – Ed.

Virginia’s bay scallop population is experiencing an unprecedented resurgence, thanks to years of dedicated restoration work led by William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory (ESL) in Wachapreague. Once locally extinct due to habitat loss, bay scallops are now multiplying in the restored eelgrass meadows of the southern coastal bays along the Eastern Shore. Now, a recreational fishery could be on the horizon.

VIMS ESL’s 2025 Bay Scallop Survey documented an average density of 0.114 scallops per square meter, with researchers routinely finding multiple scallops within a single square meter — something unimaginable just a few years ago. With the recent trend of progressive growth, researchers estimate the population will double in less than 1.5 years.

“The restoration of bay scallops to their former range along the Virginian Eastern Shore represents a significant societal and ecological achievement,” said VIMS ESL Director Richard Snyder.

Read the full article at W&M’s Batten School & VIMS

NOAA slowdowns and new science delay the usual ‘scramble’ to set fishing catch limits

March 26, 2025 — The start of this year’s commercial fishing season could be a bust for fishermen who catch groundfish species like cod, haddock and flounder.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has yet to approve new catch limits for the season slated to open May 1. People in the fishing industry said the annual process has been delayed by changes to the science used to measure cod populations, and the Trump administration’s cuts to the agency.

Scallop fishery regulations also won’t be finalized by the season’s start on April 1. But since there aren’t new regulatory strategies under consideration like with cod, there are default catch limits in place for scallops. Scallopers are facing just 10 fewer fishing days at the start of the season.

Drew Minkiewicz, an attorney representing the Sustainable Scalloping Fund, said this “doesn’t have much of an impact” on the fishery. He’s expecting new limits to be approved within a week of the start of the season.

Scalloper Eric Hansen of New Bedford said he’s cautiously optimistic about an approval coming soon. He remembers a similar slowdown when the Biden administration took over four years ago.

“ If history repeats itself, it won’t be catastrophic,” he said. “And that’s a big if.”

Read the full article at wbur

Scallops: NEFMC Signs Off on Framework 39 with Measures for Fishing Year 2025; May 15th Delayed Opening for Access Areas

December 5, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council took final action on Framework Adjustment 39 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan when it met December 3-5, 2024 in Newport, Rhode Island. The framework contains specifications and measures to guide the 2025 scallop fishing year, which begins on April 1. The action also includes default measures for fishing year 2026.

The framework must be reviewed, approved, and implemented by NOAA Fisheries before taking effect. Here are the Council’s recommended measures.

FULL-TIME LIMITED ACCESS VESSELS: The Council supported allocating full-time permit holders two access area trips in 2025 – one trip to Scallop Access Area I and the other trip to Scallop Access Area II. The Council endorsed a 12,000-pound trip limit, equating to 24,000 pounds total per vessel, as well as 24 open-area days-at-sea for this component of the scallop fishery.

PART-TIME LIMITED ACCESS VESSELS: Part-time permit holders would be allocated one access area trip into either Scallop Access Area I or Scallop Access Area II with a 9,600- pound trip limit, as well as 9.6 open-area days-at-sea.

Read the full release from the New England Fishery Management Council

NEFMC: Scallop Research Set-Aside Program to Support 14 New Projects; Several 2024 Announcements Include Multi-Year Awards

May 2, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program will support 14 new projects that were selected from the 2024 RSA solicitation. Several awards will support multi-year research, including a four-year regional survey effort. The set-aside harvest is expected to generate $22 million in revenue. Of that total, $5 million will fund the targeted research and $17 million will compensate industry partners who harvest the set-aside scallops. To determine the award amounts, the price of sea scallops was projected to average $14 per pound of meats.

Council Priorities and Research Partners

Seven different institutions will lead the projects, partnering with fishermen, fishing businesses, and non-profit fishery research organizations. The new RSA projects address 2024-2025 research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council in June 2023. At that meeting, the Council asked NOAA Fisheries to modify the Scallop RSA Program to allow for longer-term RSA awards for regional survey work, which the agency accommodated in this latest round of funding with a four-year award. Other Council priorities are listed here on page 1. RSA-funded scallop surveys have been a long-standing priority. They have become increasingly important in: (1) providing information that directly helps scientists determine the status and distribution of the resource; and (2) guiding the Council in making management decisions for this valuable resource.

The new awards were announced on May 2, 2024 by the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) of NOAA Fisheries. The Council and NOAA Fisheries work together to support the Scallop Research Set-Aside Program. While the Council sets the research priorities, NOAA Fisheries manages the RSA competition and administers the program.

Read the full release from the NEFMC

Council Seeks Applicants for All 2023-2025 Advisory Panels; Wide Range of Monkfish, Groundfish, Rec Fishermen Needed

July 25, 2022 — The following was released by New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is accepting applications from commercial and recreational fishermen, as well as other stakeholders, to serve on its advisory panels (APs) for the next three years. The term runs from January 2023 through December 2025. The application deadline is August 31, 2022.

The Council currently has nine active advisory panels that cover issues related to groundfish, recreational fishing for groundfish, Atlantic sea scallops, Atlantic herring, monkfish, habitat, skates, whiting, and enforcement.

The Council jointly manages monkfish and spiny dogfish with the Mid-Atlantic Council. The Mid-Atlantic Council has the administrative lead for spiny dogfish and handles the advisory panel solicitation for that fishery, while the New England Council has the administrative lead for monkfish and conducts the Monkfish AP solicitation.

The Council strives to populate its advisory panels with members who: (1) have different areas of expertise; (2) use different gear types; (3) come from the full geographic range of the fishery; and (4) have varied social and economic perspectives.

Read the full release here

NEFMC Approves Scallop Leasing Scoping Document; Readies for Seven In-Person Meetings and Two Webinars

April 19, 2022 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council: 

The New England Fishery Management Council will hold seven in-person scoping meetings and two webinars over the next two months to solicit public input on whether a leasing program is needed in the limited access component of the Atlantic sea scallop fishery.

The Council approved the scoping document during its April 12-14, 2022 hybrid meeting, which was held in Mystic, CT. In addition, the Council received short updates on:

Scoping Meetings Kick Off April 27th in Gloucester

The first scoping meeting for limited access leasing will be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 in Gloucester, Massachusetts at the Cruiseport beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Other in-person meeting locations run from New Bedford down to New Bern, North Carolina. The in-person meetings will not have a remote participation option, but two separate webinar scoping meetings are scheduled for June 17 and June 24, 2022.

Read the full release from the NEFMC

Sustainable Fisheries, Sustainable Seafood

April 19, 2022 — Every year on Earth Day, NOAA Fisheries joins citizens and organizations around the world in celebrating our planet and recognizing the need to care for our natural resources. After all, stewardship of our nation’s marine natural resources is the crux of NOAA Fisheries’ mission. It drives the work we do on Earth Day and every other day, too.

Thanks to world-class science, adaptive and accountable management, and dedicated enforcement, the United States is a global leader in responsible fisheries management. Regular assessments reveal that 80 percent of the stocks we monitor are at healthy sizes, and 92 percent are not subject to overfishing.

It’s taken decades of effort and investment, and the cooperation and sacrifice of U.S. fishermen, to get here. While our work continues, for Earth Day we can share some Earth optimism as we look back on our progress toward sustainable U.S. fisheries.

The Story of Sea Scallops

The first stock officially declared “rebuilt” following this new process was the Atlantic sea scallop. Decades of intense dredging in the scallop beds of Georges Bank and, later, the mid-Atlantic Bight had pushed sea scallop populations to the brink. In the early 1990s, managers shifted gears, implementing gear regulations, fishing effort restrictions, and limits on the number of participants.

In 1994, three large areas in Georges Bank and Nantucket Shoals were closed to fishing to protect similarly stressed groundfish species. Since dredges can catch groundfish by accident, those areas were closed to scallop harvest, too. Soon after, additional areas in the mid-Atlantic were closed specifically to protect scallops. Scallops were formally placed in a 10-year rebuilding plan in 1997.

Read the full story at NOAA Fisheries

 

Scallop Research Set-Aside Program to Support 15 Projects for 2022-2023; Focus on Surveys, Scallop Biology, and More

March 16, 2022 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program will support 15 new projects under the 2022- 2023 award cycle. The awards are expected to generate $3.8 million to fund the research and $12.5 million to compensate industry partners who harvest the set-aside scallops. In order to determine the award amounts, sea scallop price was projected to average $15 per pound.

Six different institutions will lead the projects, partnering with fishermen, fishing businesses, and non-profit fishery research organizations.

The 2022-2023 RSA projects address research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council in June 2021. The Council’s priorities focused on resource surveys, research on scallop biology and sea turtles, scallop recruitment supplementation, bycatch reduction, and gear research.

RSA-funded scallop surveys have been a long- standing priority and have become increasingly important in: (1) providing information that directly helps scientists determine the status and distribution of the resource; and (2) guiding the Council in making management decisions.

Read the full release from the NEFMC