October 21, 2019 — The Atlantic sea scallop fishery took off in the 1950s when Norwegian immigrants started dragging in the waters off of New Bedford, Mass. Environmental conditions and lack of management created dramatic supply swings in the fishery until the early 2000s. That’s when the industry collaborated with federal regulators to change data collection and management; the fishery rebounded and was declared fully rebuilt in 2001.
For the last two decades, the fishery has been among the most lucrative in the world, with the Atlantic Coast landings of Placopecten magellanicus valued at more than $500 million. The most recent stock assessment in 2018 revealed that the fishery is not being overfished and is not subject to overfishing. The rebound of the Atlantic scallop and the profitability of the fishery has made it one of the world’s best success stories in fisheries management.
In late August, I connected with Kent Island, Md., waterman David Tedford and his crew of three out of Ocean City to go out on a one-day scalloping trip onboard the 43-foot Chasin’ Rainbows. Tedford began his career on the water in Chesapeake Bay, dredging for soft-shell clams and trotlining for blue crabs.
In 2005, he saw a financial opportunity in bluewater fishing and found the 43′ x 14′ 6″ Chasin’ Rainbows in Canada’s Prince Edward Island. He hauled it to West Ocean City on Sinepuxent Bay and has spent every year since scalloping from April through August and harvesting whelk in the winter.