Saving Seafood

NOAA Fisheries Seeks Scallop Research Proposals

July 26, 2019 — NOAA Fisheries, in coordination with the New England Fishery Management Council, is soliciting research proposals under the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program.

Successful applicants are awarded pounds of scallops that have been “Set aside” to pay for research expenses.

Researchers and fishermen partner to harvest awarded scallops, and the proceeds are used to fund the research and compensate fishing industry partners.

The New England Fishery Management Council sets the research priorities and NOAA Fisheries administers the competition, oversees awarded projects, and oversees set-aside harvest activities.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

2020-2021 Scallop RSA Competition Underway; September 20 Deadline for Project Proposals

July 25, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The federal competition for 2020-2021 awards through the Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program is now open. The deadline for submitting full proposals is Friday, September 20, 2019 at 5 p.m.

The New England Fishery Management Council established the Scallop RSA Program under the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The Council sets research priorities for this program, while the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA Fisheries) administers the RSA competition, oversees award projects, and monitors set-aside harvest activities through the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO).

Read the full release here

Atlantic Capes Fisheries launches stuffed clams, scallops line aimed at millennials

July 23, 2019 — Atlantic Capes Fisheries is launching a line of frozen stuffed clams and scallops for retail and foodservice.

The Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based harvester, processor, and marketer of Marine Stewardship Council-certified scallops and North Atlantic seafood is launching the new value-added seafood items under the Galilean’s Kitchen brand.

First, it will roll out Galilean’s Kitchen New England Style Stuffed Clams in a nine-count package for retail and a 36-count pack for foodservice. Then, Galilean’s Kitchen will launch Stuffed Scallops and Gourmet Stuffed Clam Flights, in four flavors: Bacon & Cheddar, Thai Chili Lime, Mediterranean, and Portuguese-style.

While the Matlaw’s brand of stuffed clams has been on the market for years, “Galilean’s Kitchen products are a much higher quality than competition,” Steve Zevitas, vice president and sales manager at Atlantic Capes, told SeafoodSource. “We are targeting the millennials with the gourmet line of flavors, Stuffed Clam Flights.”

The New England Stuffed Clams are made from sweet and briny hand-shucked Atlantic surf clams, fleet-direct from Atlantic Capes’ boats, and mixed with onions, red bell peppers, garlic, and seasoning.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MASSACHUSETTS: US scallop harvester Quinn Fisheries to convert former copper mill into shipyard

July 23, 2019 — Charlie and Michael Quinn, father and son owners of Quinn Fisheries — a six-vessel  harvesting operation in the US’s scallop landing capitol of New Bedford, Massachusetts — have purchased a historical 14-acre waterfront property once dedicated to metal works and plan to convert it into a shipyard, the New Bedford port authority confirms.

Edward Anthes-Washburn, director of the Port of New Bedford, told Undercurrent Newsthat he has been working for several years to redevelop the property owned by the Revere Copper and Brass complex, on North Front Street, since it opened in 1861. The more than 400,000 square feet worth of structures on the property largely have been dormant since Revere closed the plant in 2008 and shipped much of its equipment to South Korea a year later, according to South Coast Today, the local newspaper.

New Bedford mayor Jon Mitchell told the radio station WBSM 1420 over the weekend that it was his understanding that most of the complex will be brought down to make room for vessel work, though he said he was hopeful that an icehouse, built out of granite that played a role in the city’s history whaling history, would be restored.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

America’s Got Scallops: Catch Is Up, Consumers Shelling Out

July 22, 2019 — America’s harvest of scallops is increasing to near-record levels at a time when the shellfish are in high demand and the value of the fishery has surged in recent years.

Sea scallops, harvested mostly by boats from the cold Atlantic Ocean, are the target of one of the most valuable fisheries in America. New data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the harvest topped 58.2 million pounds last year, the highest total since 2011 and the fifth-highest in history, according to federal statistics going back to 1945.

The availability of scallops for consumers hasn’t changed much as the U.S. harvest has long been supplemented by foreign sources. Prices to consumers have also held about steady.

The value of the fishery itself, though, is rising. American scallops were worth $532.9 million at the docks last year. That’s the third-highest figure on record and more than $100 million higher than the 2014 total.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at WBUR

MAINE: State deals setback to opponents of aquaculture lease on Maquoit Bay

July 19, 2019 — The Maine Department of Marine Resources has rejected a citizens petition that requested a moratorium on aquaculture leases of over 10 acres.

The petition was submitted March 20, with 189 signatures, by a group called Save Maquoit Bay. The petition was drawn up in response to an application by Mere Point Oyster Co. for a 40-acre lease in the bay, off Brunswick, in order to cultivate Eastern oysters, bay scallops and sea scallops.

Although the proposed moratorium targeted one project, it would have applied statewide.

In its decision, the department wrote that it doesn’t see a basis for a moratorium.

“The Legislature has limited the size of any single lease to no more than 100 acres,” the decision reads. “Leases of greater than 10 acres may be appropriate and suitable in some areas and for certain aquaculture activities, just as leases of less than 10 acres would be required in others. The department can adequately deal with the size of a lease requested under the current lease decision criteria.

“Lease applications greater than 10 acres have been found to meet the decision criteria and have been granted, and other lease sites have been reduced in size by the department’s lease decision where the proposed sites were found to be unreasonable. Further, a 10-acre limitation on lease size may have the unintended effect of causing applicants to apply for multiple leases, as opposed to one single lease of a size that is suitable to meet their needs.

“Without further justification, a moratorium on leases of greater than 10 acres is arbitrary, and the department will not implement such a moratorium.”

Read the full story at MaineBiz

Sea Scallop Camera-Based Survey Expanded on Georges Bank

July 18, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, School for Marine Science and Technology will add the Northern Flank and Closed Area II North to this year’s planned survey work around Georges Bank to track sea scallop aggregations.

The survey, which uses a drop-camera array, is also covering the Great South Channel, Nantucket Lightship, and the Closed Area I Access Area.

“Taking on this additional work while in the middle of a busy survey season exemplifies the School for Marine Science and Technology’s dedication to supporting the scallop fishery,” said Jon Hare, director of NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center. “It’s also a great example of the importance of our strong partnerships in the region that provide science to support management of this valuable resource.”

The University’s survey is funded by the sale of sea scallops that are set aside from the annual catch limit through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program. The New England Fishery Management Council established this unique program to address research questions that support management of the sea scallop resource.

Awards are made in pounds, not dollars, and no federal funding is provided. Instead, proceeds generated from the sale of set-aside scallops are used to fund research activities and compensate participating vessels.

Read the full release here

MASSACHUSETTS: Gift from the sea: New Bedford’s bounty starts with scallops

July 16, 2019 — On a recent evening at Cork Wine & Tapas, which occupies a stone warehouse built when New Bedford was king of whaling, four people at the bar made quick work of the pan-seared sea scallops.

It’s a hard dish to eat slowly. I know — I’ve been hooked on Cork’s famous plateful since the harborside restaurant opened in 2007. The scallop meats, firm but tender, are served on ginger-garlic jasmine rice and irresistibly drizzled with roasted macadamia cream sauce. The added bonus, of course, is that the scallops on your fork are nearly fresh off the boat.

“Fresh! Never frozen,” said Cork’s chef, Nick Santerre, who receives two batches of scallops from his suppliers each week. “There’s no need for frozen!” Santerre spoke so fervently about how he sources his scallops, I thought he must be descended from Portuguese fishermen, but it turns out he’s part French and Irish with a whisker of Native American.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

REPORTER: U.S. Scallop Supply Increases 3rd Year In A Row

July 3, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — With a combined approach of effort limitation and rotating harvest areas, the Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) is one of the most valuable fisheries in the United States, and is the most valuable wild scallop fishery in the world. It’s managed by the New England Fishery Management Council in cooperation with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council under the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fisheries Management Plan, which maximizes scallop yields while protecting beds of young scallops.

According to the NEFMC Council Report, Framework Adjustment 30 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP, which contains catch specifications for the 2019 and 2020 (default) fishing years, has been approved by NMFS for implementation. The most likely scenario includes seven 18,000 lb. access area trips and 24 days-at-sea. These allocations are projected to result in landings of about 60 million pounds of scallops in FY 2019.

Scallop Trade

Scallop imports into the United States increased 12.4%, or 5.1 million pounds in 2018 compared to the previous year. However, this increase was largely due to the abundant volume rushed in from China in December 2018, ahead of the 25% tariff increase originally set for a January 1, 2019 implementation, which was later postponed. China continues to be the largest scallop supplier to the United States, accounting for about 46% of the 46.5 million pounds of scallops imported into the U.S. Shipping fewer scallops to the U.S. are Argentina (-13.6%) and Japan (-33%), while China (15.4%), Canada (5.5%), Mexico (2394.7%) and Peru (190.1%) have shipped more in 2018 than the previous year (Chart 1).

Export activity declined year-overyear. January to December exports totaled 14.1 million pounds, 14% fewer than the 16.4 million pounds shipped out in 2017. Canada remains our largest export destination, accounting for roughly 29% of annual exports; other significant destinations for U.S. production are the Netherlands, France, Belgium and the United Kingdom.

The Markets 

More imports, larger landings, and a decline in exports, resulted in an increase in net supply. Our net supply calculation suggests an annual total of nearly 87 million pounds compared to 75 million in 2017; a 16% improvement (Chart 2).

The market for U.S. origin sea scallops fell as seasonally expected at the start of the new season, but strengthened throughout the end of the year amid little to no landings of larger domestic U/10 sized sea scallops. The market held somewhat of an unsettled undertone as varying inventory positions broadened  the range of wholesale offerings available to customers. Those with thin inventories reported higher premiums, while those with more stable inventory holdings were able to offer a lower price. The average price paid for a domestic dry U10 in 2018 was $12.18, down 20% from the previous year average of $15.25/lb. Similarly, dry 10/20 count scallops decreased by 4.6%, averaging $10.30/lb. compared to $10.80 in 2017.

The market for Canada origin sea scallops saw premiums developing during 2018 Q4. Frozen inventory levels were not as abundant compared to previous years and one factor contributing to this were fewer exports from Japan into Canada. In 2018, while Japan harvested the same number of scallops as expected, the harvest was of a smaller size, attributing to about 25% less product available for export. Less exports paired with strong domestic demand in Japan was one of the factors attributing to the Canadian wholesale market strengthening at the end of their calendar year season.

The average price paid for a 10/20 count Canadian sea scallop in 2018 was $11.91/lb., down 12.8% from the previous average of $13.66/lb. in 2017.

Looking Forward

Conservation efforts have been strong resulting in productive years for fisherman. The outlook for this year is that with an increased net supply, prices could continue to fall, attracting a wider consumer base at the restaurant and retail levels this summer, once again. However, while landings thus far in the 2019 season have been abundant, the quality is being noted as “medium” with a higher than favorable percentage of splits and pieces. Will quantity outweigh quality and keep prices down? The coming months will tell…

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

2019 Northeast Sea Scallop Survey Finishes

June 24, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The 2019 Northeast sea scallop survey got underway May 15 aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp, first covering stations in the Mid-Atlantic and then on Georges Bank. Operations concluded on June 14.

This survey occurs annually. It uses both a dredge to collect physical samples of sea life and their habitat, and a towed vehicle known as the HabCam. The HabCam is fitted with a number of sampling instruments, including cameras that photograph the ocean bottom. This dual sampling method enriches data available to researchers and helps ensure that information can be collected even if one of the systems fails during survey operations.

2019 NEFSC Sampling Effort

Most of the dredge operations occurred on Georges Bank. Planned dredge stations were completed throughout the Georges Bank area, and additional stations were added in the Great South Channel. Only two dredge stations were planned for the Mid-Atlantic area. These were completed.

HabCam coverage in the Mid-Atlantic was the most comprehensive achieved by the Center survey to date.

On Georges Bank, only the Southern Flank tracks and a small part of the northern Great South Channel were covered—about 30 percent of planned HabCam tracks for Georges Bank. HabCam tracks planned for the Northeast Edge and most of Great South Channel were not completed owing to operational issues with the HabCam vehicle and two days of unworkable weather.

“The sea scallop fishery is among the most valuable in the region, and people who rely on it also rely on us to provide the best possible data,” said Jon Hare, director of NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center. “We were able to conduct additional dredge samples in the areas of Georges Bank that HabCam did not cover, and the team on the vessel did an excellent job adapting to the situation.”

Read the full release here