December 12, 2019 — The New England Fishery Management Council has approved changes that would allow US harvesters to land about 52.0 million pounds of Atlantic scallops in 2020, roughly 17% less than the 62.5m lbs projected in 2019, the NEFMC reports in a statement released Wednesday.
The projected ex-vessel value of the harvest is expected to be close to $487m.
Regardless, the changes, included in the NEFMC-approved Framework 32, continue to support a scallop harvest that will be “well above the historical average,” the NEFMC states adding:
“The resource, which is not overfished or subject to overfishing, is considered healthy.”