Saving Seafood

MAINE: A day on the ocean with Maine’s tough winter scallopers

February 26, 2024 — An orange sun exploded behind a tangle of blue clouds on Monday morning, silhouetting the stone beacon tower on Little Mark Island that once held supplies for shipwrecked sailors.

Lying roughly between Eagle and Bailey islands, the 197-year-old navigational aid is one of the final outposts guiding fishermen at the far reaches of Casco Bay.

But Kenny Blanchard and Josh Todd didn’t have time to admire the gorgeous sunrise, or contemplate the history of the 50-foot tower.

They were busy, on their hands and knees, picking scallops from a pile of seaweed and rocks on the heaving stern of a Chebeague Island fishing boat. A constant breeze made the 26-degree air feel even colder, and the rising winter sun radiated no extra warmth.

“This really isn’t too bad,” said 37-year-old Blanchard, steam following his voice into the air. “Sometimes it’s cold enough to get the deck all iced up — and it snows, too.”

Though often romanticized for tourists and marketing, there’s little glamor in the work of a Maine fisherman — especially in the dead of winter, when the state’s scalloping season takes place.

Worth about $9 million to Maine’s economy every year, it can be an important financial bridge for fishermen waiting out the slowest part of the lobstering season. Their fresh catch, known as “day boat scallops,” are prized and often sold directly to hungry locals. Those buyers are smart, knowing that scallops purchased at other times of the year have likely been soaked in preserving chemicals, which dilute the taste.

Read the full article at Bangor Daily News

Fishing for Scallops When the Scallops Are Nearly All Dead

January 16, 2024 — Mike Tehan pilots a fishing boat called Nibbles out of Shelter Island. An hour before sunrise on the first day of scallop season in November, as he unwound the ropes, started the outboard motor and piloted the 25-foot fiberglass boat from an island cove into the open waters of Peconic Bay, Mr. Tehan knew just what he’d find.

“I didn’t come out here with big plans to get rich today,” he said. “You can’t say it’s depressing, because you already know. But you hope.”

He bashed north against the waves, toward the protected bay off Orient, at the far northeast corner of Long Island. He dropped four rusty dredges into the water, just as the bay turned pink with sunrise. He let the outboard rumble the boat around for five minutes. Then he pulled the dredges back up and dumped the contents into a sorting tray.

Read the full article at the New York Times

Shucked Atlantic Sea Scallop Meats are Safe to Eat

January 11, 2024 — The following was released by the Fisheries Survival Fund and the American Scallop Association:

It is important to avoid confusion, and for the public to understand, that the scallops referenced in a recent advisory from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are not the type of scallops typically available in markets and restaurants across North America, and that the adductor muscle of the Atlantic Scallop (placopecten magellanicus), commonly referred to as the “scallop meat,” is not a threat.

The FDA is advising consumers not to eat, and restaurants and food retailers not to sell or dispose of, certain whole, live scallops received from an unlicensed harvester. These scallops are believed to have been harvested from prohibited state waters in Massachusetts and were incorrectly labeled. They were distributed to restaurants and food retailers in Illinois (IL), Massachusetts (MA), New Jersey (NJ), New York (NY), and Pennsylvania (PA).

Scallops are rarely sold live or whole in North America, and they are most often harvested offshore in federal waters, not in state waters. In the United States and Canada, consumers generally purchase just the adductor muscle, which is the white, meaty part seen in market displays and seafood dishes. This part of the scallop is prized for its delicate texture and sweet flavor.

Scallops are typically ‘shucked’ (opened and cleaned) at sea immediately after they are harvested. The scallop is removed from its shell, and the adductor muscle is separated from the rest of the body. Since this process is done at sea, what lands at the dock as ‘scallops’ are the shucked muscles.

The FDA advisory stated, “It is not uncommon for shellfish to be consumed raw and whole.” While this is true for some shellfish such as oysters and clams, it is not true for scallops. It is very uncommon for U.S. Atlantic sea scallops to be consumed raw and whole. In North American cuisine, scallops are typically consumed as just the adductor muscle, not the whole scallop including the roe (or coral).

The Atlantic sea scallop is one of the more sustainable seafood choices available, and much of the fishery has been certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The U.S. Atlantic sea scallop fishery is subject to strict regulations and management practices implemented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These include measures such as limiting the total allowable catch, rotating fishing areas to allow for recovery, and using gear that minimizes environmental impact. Regular stock assessments are conducted to monitor the health and size of the scallop population.

Consumers may continue to buy and enjoy with confidence the shucked, white, meaty, and sustainable scallops familiar to them in grocery cases and on restaurant menus.

About the Fisheries Survival Fund
The Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF) was established in 1998 to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Atlantic sea scallop fishery. FSF participants include the vast majority of full-time Atlantic scallop fishermen from Maine to North Carolina. FSF works with academic institutions and independent scientific experts to foster cooperative research and to help sustain this fully rebuilt fishery. FSF also works with the federal government to ensure that the fishery is responsibly managed.

About the American Scallop Association
The ASA was founded in 1992 to foster a better public understanding of the importance of the scallop industry and to represent and promote the interests of the domestic, U.S. wild-caught, Atlantic sea scallop industry. Our aim is to support ASA members and all other affiliated interests to ensure a viable and long term future for the Atlantic sea scallop fishery through effective dialogue, consultation, collaboration and partnerships.

Contract Opportunity for Scallop Dredge Vessels

November 16, 2023 — The following was released by The New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council is broadly sharing the following information in support of our federal partners at NOAA Fisheries.

 
WHAT IS THIS ABOUT:  The Northeast Fisheries Science Center is looking for appropriate scallop dredge vessels to participate in the annual Atlantic sea scallop survey.  Vessels must be available between May and July 2024 – ideally in June – to participate in the survey.
 
FIRST STEP:  Step #1 is a call for information to help NOAA Fisheries identify vessels that meet a list of required specifications related to sufficient berth space, adequate deck space, equipment requirements, and more.  Interested applicants are being asked to respond to this initial request for information by November 22, 2023.
 
IMPORTANT:  Step #1 is important because it will lead interested vessel owners to register inSAM.gov.  Anyone who is not registered in SAM.gov cannot receive a government contract.  SAM stands for System for Award Management.  If you need help with this initial step, feel free to contactAmanda Rossiter or Carina Topasna, who are both contract specialists.
 
SECOND STEP:  Under Step #2, NOAA Fisheries will issue a solicitation for a vessel contract opportunity, which will happen “in the near future.”  Remember, Step #1 is critical to being able to participate in Step #2.  Each awarded contract will have a one-year base period in 2024 with “option years through 2028.”
 
SURVEY RANGE:  The Atlantic sea scallop survey is currently conducted along the U.S. continental shelf from New England to the Mid-Atlantic region and includes the U.S. waters of Georges Bank.
 
SURVEYS SUPPORT MANAGEMENT:  Survey data helps fishery managers make informed decisions.  The Atlantic sea scallop fishery is managed by the New England Fishery Management Council and administratively overseen by NOAA Fisheries.
 
QUESTIONS:  Additional information about this important scallop survey contract opportunity isposted here.  Questions should be directed to the contacts listed at the bottom of the webpage, which, in addition to Amanda Rossiter and Carina Topasna, include: Ecosystems Surveys Branch Chief Peter Chase; and Shellfish Survey Program Lead Chad Keith, who also is with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Ecosystems Surveys Branch.

Two left injured from scallop fleet dock collapse

October 12, 2023 — Two workers were injured after a dock collapsed in New Bedford on Wednesday afternoon. Fire chief Scott Kruger told WPRI 12 News that firefighters rushed to Hervey Tichon Avenue following reports of the dock giving way. The dock’s bulkhead was under construction when it split from the rest of the pier and sank. It is still unclear whether that played a role in the fracture, as the structure was supported by standard wooden piles capped with concrete.

“Engineers are going to be taking a look at that,” Kruger explained.

Four workers were on the dock at the time of the collapse, and all fell into the water, with one needing rescue. Kruger said that two of the workers were transported to the hospital with injuries that didn’t appear to be life-threatening. The cleanup is described as a “long-term operation” as divers are in the process of removing equipment and material from the water.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

MAINE: A behind-the-scenes look at Maine’s growing scallop farming industry

August 18, 2023 — Maine’s wild scallop harvest is still a few months away, but a group of fishermen in Penobscot Bay can fish scallops year-round thanks to Maine’s growing aquaculture industry.

“This just puts another tool in the toolbox to allow them to adapt. We’re not looking to be replaced. We just want the opportunity to adapt,” said scallop farmer, Marsden Brewer.

Marsden has been fishing off of Stonington for decades.

He and his son, Robert, have been learning more about scallop farming, setting their nets in Penobscot Bay.

Read the full article at WABI

Flaws in Catch-Share System Frustrate Scallopers

August 10, 2023 — A decline in scallop stocks combined inexplicably with low wholesale prices have made this a tough year for small-boat scallop fishermen. But what Outer Cape scallopers say they’re most worried about is how these conditions exacerbate a bigger problem: the quota system that regulates the small-boat fleet.

Every year, regulators set a maximum number of pounds of scallops the entire small-boat fleet is allowed to catch. Each vessel owns or leases a share of that total, which determines how many pounds of scallops it can land that year. That share is called quota. Owning or leasing one percent in quota, for example, allows a vessel to take one percent of the total regulators set.

Each vessel must first purchase a permit — there are about 300 available for small-boat scalloping — before leasing or buying quota to attach to it. The permits and quota are generally bought and sold through marine brokerage firms.

Read the full article at Provincetown Independent 

MASSACHUSETTS: The Cape’s Scallopers Ride Out a Perfect Storm

July 20, 2023 — This summer, a perfect storm — combining sky-high fuel costs, a scarcity of experienced crew members, low wholesale prices, sharp declines in what scallop fishermen are allowed to take, and costly quota — has been keeping Cape Cod’s small-boat scallopers off the water.

“There are a quite a few changing over to do other kinds of fishing because they can’t afford to go scalloping right now,” said Max Nolan, a scalloper from Eastham who owns the F/V Outlaw. Nolan fishes out of Provincetown, Hyannis, and New Bedford and has come to rely on the work-intensive practice of selling his catch directly to consumers, including from a truck parked near the former T-Time property on Route 6, a strategy he hopes will make up for low wholesale prices.

“I don’t know how anyone is making it,” said Chris Merl, a Wellfleet scalloper and captain of the F/V Isabel & Lilee, who does the same, selling his catch at the Orleans Farmers Market, the Bass River Farmers Market, and at Cape Cod Beer in Hyannis.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Northeast sea scallop survey cancelled after vessel sidelined

June 27, 2023 — Officials at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center say the 2023 sea scallop survey has been cancelled because of mechanical problems on the survey vessel, the R/V Hugh R. Sharp.

Owned and operated by the University of Delaware, the Sharp has been chartered by NOAA Fisheries annually since 2008 for the survey. This year’s cruise was scheduled for May 13 to June 13, before the Sharp “encountered licensed engineering shortages and mechanical difficulties at the dock in its homeport of Lewes, Del.,” according to science center statement.

After repairs and sea trials were completed June 12, the cruise was rescheduled for June 14-21, and the Sharp departed sailed from Woods Hole, Mass., with the scientific crew on board.

“However, the ship encountered further mechanical failures at sea and returned to port on June 16, ending the NOAA cruise,” according to the science center.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman