The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) has completed their cooperative sea scallop video survey and presented the results to the New England Fisheries Management Council’s Scallops Plan Development Team.
The good news for the scallop fishery is that the stock remains very strong with a total estimated meat biomass of 297.5 million lbs (worth $2.08 billion at $7.00 per lb); 63% of this stock is harvestable with a 4” ring. Overall the stock is almost exactly the same as 2008 (296.7 million lbs). The stock has increased on Georges Bank by about 70 million lbs and decreased in the Mid-Atlantic by the same amount. The most recruitment (scallops less than 70 mm) occurred on Georges Bank in the Great South Channel, along the Northern Edge, primarily in the HAPC, and in the southeastern portion of Closed Area II. These data will be compared to the NMFS and VIMS scallop surveys to form the scientific information used to determine the 2010 fishing harvest and the state of the resource, which has been well above the overfishing threshold since 2002.
This year six fishing vessels (F/V’s Karen Nicole, Horizon, Diligence, Endeavor, Courageous and Liberty) conducted the survey covering over 60,000 km2 of the US North East Continental Shelf with a 3 nautical miles grid, from 27 April to 25 June 2009. Further, high resolution surveys (1.5 nautical miles) were conducted in the closed areas of Georges Bank and the Mid-Atlantic to provide scallop density estimates with increased accuracy and precision and habitat information. In all 2,646 stations were sampled, with four quadrats taken at each station and four cameras sampling the sea floor from different angles on each quadrat. As many as fifty animals are counted in each quadrat. Two SMAST scientists and students sail with a captain, mate and crew member on each survey, while six students examine the video footage in the laboratory at SMAST.
The Sea Scallop Fishing Fleet and supporting industries donated the survey again this year, as they have each year since 2003. Each vessel donated it’s time, food was donated by New Bedford Ship Supply, fuel was donated by Dockside Repair, Warrior Fuel, Sea Fuels, Bay Fuels and three of the vessels, 98 vessels and several processors and gear retailers donated funds to pay for the captains and crews. We are able to do this work primarily with the funds secured by members of our congressional delegation, US Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), US Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and US Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). Our program also is supported by a variety of competitive grants.