A survey of the sea scallop population off the Eastern seaboard released on Tuesday, August 17 shows an increase in the number of young scallops on Georges Bank, which could be a good sign for several years to come.
The survey, conducted from May to June by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Mass., a division of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, says the numbers of juvenile scallops found on Georges Bank were the highest since 2000. Georges Bank stretches from the waters off Cape Cod to Nova Scotia.
The sea scallop fishery often surpasses lobster as the most valuable fishery in the country, bringing in $368 million in 2007, according to the New England Fishery Management Council.