May 24, 2012 – Newswise — (Gloucester Point, VA) Recent surveys by researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) reveal an unprecedented number of young scallops in two fishery management areas off the mid-Atlantic coast. The high levels of scallop “seed” should generate significant commercial catches in three years, when the scallops are five years old.
That’s good news for the continued success of the Atlantic sea scallop fishery, a model of effective collaboration among scientists, resource managers, and commercial fishing interests that now sustains the most valuable wild scallop fishery in the world. U.S. scallop landings totaled $455.1 million in 2010 (latest available data).
The VIMS surveys are part of the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program, a unique component of the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan in which commercial scallopers each year set aside proceeds from a portion of their “Total Allowable Catch” to fund scallop-related research. This year’s set aside is for 1.25 million pounds.
VIMS emeritus professor Bill DuPaul, a key figure in establishing the scientist-scalloper partnership in the mid-1980s, says “Scallops are currently valued at $9.35 per pound, so this year’s set-aside will fund more than $10 million of research.” The research is administered through a competitive grant program managed by the National Marine Fisheries Service with input on research priorities from industry advisors.
Read the full story at Newswise here.