Saving Seafood

2025 Scallop RSA Program Funding Opportunity Open Through September 30, 2024; Join August 8th Informational Webinar

August 6, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

NOAA Fisheries is soliciting proposals for the 2025 Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program funding opportunity, which opened August 1, 2024 and will close September 30, 2024. The solicitation and administrative aspects of the funding opportunity are being handled by the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO). All project proposals should support the New England Fishery Management Council’s scallop research priorities as shown in the table below.

Successful applicants are awarded pounds of scallops that have been “set aside” to pay for research expenses. No federal funds are provided. Researchers and fishermen partner to harvest awarded scallops, and the proceeds are used to fund the research and compensate fishing industry partners.

NEW THIS YEAR: During its June 2024 meeting, the Council approved several changes to the Scallop RSA Program, including a request to NOAA Fisheries to allow scallop enhancement research to be funded for up to three years with an option for a one-year extension. Regional scallop surveys used for stock assessments and specification-setting already can be funded for up to four years – with an option for a one-year extension for completing grant reports and data analysis. All other projects can be funded for up to two years.

 

Scallopers assail continued closure of Northern Edge

July 29, 2024 — Fisheries regulators voted this month to “discontinue” development of a plan to reopen the Northern Edge of Georges Bank — a lucrative scallop ground that has long been closed to commercial fishing.

In April, the New England Fishery Management Council agreed to consider requests to reopen the fishing grounds at the urging of both the scallop industry and Mayor Jon Mitchell. He and industry representatives cited significant headwinds for the region’s top fishery, including a slump in prices and fewer days at sea for fishermen. They added that opening the Northern Edge would benefit the whole port economy and surrounding businesses.

But in the midst of a four-day meeting in Freeport, Maine, the Council voted not to continue discussing plans to reopen the area in order to focus on the “long-term productivity of the Georges Bank scallop resource.” For regulators, it’s a balancing act to weigh sustainability and the economic pressures on fishermen to sustain their livelihoods.

“We know there is a high density of scallops there. But you need those dense aggregations to have spawning success in the future,” said Jonathon Peros, who is the Council’s lead fishery analyst for sea scallops. He explained that scallops spawning in the region act as a seed source to other active scalloping grounds.

Read the full article at the New Bedford Light

Council Approves Scallop RSA Program Changes and 2025-2027 RSA Priorities; Initiates Framework 39; Discusses Wind, Surveys

July 11, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The New England Fishery Management Council approved several changes to the Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program when it met June 24-27, 2024 in Freeport, Maine. It also initiated Framework 39 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan and discussed survey and offshore wind activities.

SCALLOP RSA PROGRAM: The Scallop RSA Program, which began in 1999, supports 10-15 projects each year using 1.275 million pounds of scallops that are “set aside” during the specifications process to support research. The Council sets research priorities, while the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) of NOAA Fisheries administers the competitive grant process. Up to now, the Council has been approving RSA priorities on an annual basis. At the June meeting, building on a recommendation from its Scallop Committee and Scallop Advisory Panel, the Council agreed to set RSA priorities for two years at a time going forward. GARFO will continue to announce annual funding opportunities.

RSA priorities cover a wide scope and have changed little in recent years. Resource surveys routinely top the list as the highest priority. As action items, the Council:

• Approved RSA priorities for the next two grant cycles covering 2025-2026 and 2026- 2027 as listed in the table at right (GARFO’s Notice of Funding Opportunity for the 2025-2026 cycle is expected to come out in mid-July 2024);

• Approved updates to the Scallop RSA Program Policy outlined in the Council’s Operations Handbook; and

• Voted to ask NOAA Fisheries to allow scallop enhancement research to be funded for up to three years with an option for a one-year extension.

Additionally, based on action the Council and GARFO took in 2023, regional scallop surveys used for stock assessments and specification-setting can be funded for up to four years – with an option for a one-year extension for completing grant reports and data analysis. A breakdown of the RSA categories funded for the 2024-2025 cycle is shown in the table below.

The Council also received preliminary highlights from the 2024 RSA survey season, which showed some signs of recruitment on Stellwagen Bank in the Gulf of Maine, portions of Georges Bank, and selected areas of the Mid-Atlantic. Early 2024 fishery performance has been mixed, with catch rates on open bottom being the lowest in five years. More information can be found in this presentation

MASSACHUSETTS: Statement from New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell on NEFMC decision on Northern Edge

July 3, 2024 — The following statement was released by New Bedford, Massachusetts Mayor Jon Mitchell:

“I am disappointed by the New England Fishery Management Council’s decision last week after scant public notice to reverse itself and halt further discussion of the opening of the Northern Edge scallop access area. The decision comes less than three months after the Council voted to advance the opening of the Northern Edge, which was grounded in more than a decade of research showing that scallops are abundant in the area. Halting work on the Northern Edge so abruptly is an affront to scallop fishermen who were given every reason to believe that the council was working toward a fair, long-term solution.”

Scallop Research Set-Aside projects for 2024

May 7, 2024 — NOAA Fisheries announced 14 projects to be funded through the 2024 Scallop Research Set-Aside Program, with researchers partnering with the scallop fleet to investigate sea scallop research priorities developed by the New England Fishery Management Council. 

Participants conduct research and harvest their set-aside award, generating funds for the research. Based on an ex-vessel price estimate of $14 per pound, NOAA Fisheries expects the awards to generate approximately $22 million; $5 million to fund research, and $17 million to compensate industry partners who harvest the set-aside scallops.

“In RSA programs, researchers compete for funding through a federal grant competition managed by NOAA Fisheries,” according to the announcement from the NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic office. “No federal funds support the research. Instead, the programs award pounds of sea scallops from amounts “set-aside” annually for this purpose.”

Read the full story at National Fisherman

NEFMC: Scallop Research Set-Aside Program to Support 14 New Projects; Several 2024 Announcements Include Multi-Year Awards

May 2, 2024 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

The Atlantic Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program will support 14 new projects that were selected from the 2024 RSA solicitation. Several awards will support multi-year research, including a four-year regional survey effort. The set-aside harvest is expected to generate $22 million in revenue. Of that total, $5 million will fund the targeted research and $17 million will compensate industry partners who harvest the set-aside scallops. To determine the award amounts, the price of sea scallops was projected to average $14 per pound of meats.

Council Priorities and Research Partners

Seven different institutions will lead the projects, partnering with fishermen, fishing businesses, and non-profit fishery research organizations. The new RSA projects address 2024-2025 research priorities identified by the New England Fishery Management Council in June 2023. At that meeting, the Council asked NOAA Fisheries to modify the Scallop RSA Program to allow for longer-term RSA awards for regional survey work, which the agency accommodated in this latest round of funding with a four-year award. Other Council priorities are listed here on page 1. RSA-funded scallop surveys have been a long-standing priority. They have become increasingly important in: (1) providing information that directly helps scientists determine the status and distribution of the resource; and (2) guiding the Council in making management decisions for this valuable resource.

The new awards were announced on May 2, 2024 by the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO) of NOAA Fisheries. The Council and NOAA Fisheries work together to support the Scallop Research Set-Aside Program. While the Council sets the research priorities, NOAA Fisheries manages the RSA competition and administers the program.

Read the full release from the NEFMC

MASSACHUSETTS: New Bedford Mayor seeks access to new scallop territory

April 18, 2024 — New Bedford’s mayor testified in front of the New England Fisheries Management Council on Wednesday with the hope of re-opening one of the richest fishing grounds in the world.

New Bedford is already home to the largest commercial fishing port in the country, and Mayor Jon Mitchell said he is now working to give the city’s fishermen more resources to gather scallops, which he described as the prime drivers of economic activity.

“The basic policy that people have to understand is that the scallop industry is regulated by the federal government in a rotational method,” Mitchell said. “Kind of like what farmers do.”

“There are areas that are growing well with lots of scallops that are open up for fishermen,” Mitchell continued. “And places that are already fished with not many scallops to be caught are closed for a period of time.”

Mitchell testified before the council about reopening one specific area for scallops.

Read the full story at WLNE

 

New Bedford Mayor, Port Authority, Successfully Advocate Opening Northern Edge Scallop Grounds to Boost Fishing Opportunities

April 18, 2024 — New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell delivered compelling testimony before the New England Fishery Management Council on Tuesday, urging the Council to open the Northern Edge scallop grounds to New Bedford commercial fishermen. Mayor Mitchell emphasized the potential benefits of this move, highlighting its significance as a new source of scallops while other locations recover, and scallop recruitment progresses.

Mayor Mitchell, who also serves as chairman of the New Bedford Port Authority, had previously written to Council Chair Eric Reid, noting that the work of the Habitat and Scallop Plan Development Teams has been careful and thoughtful, and has led to the cautious and prudent recommendation to pursue the opening of Concept Areas #2 and #4. Despite being the smallest of the Concept Areas evaluated, Mayor Mitchell stressed their importance in providing much-needed scallop fishing opportunities.

Concept Area #4 was highlighted for potentially harboring the highest concentration of scallops in recent surveys. Mayor Mitchell underscored that scallops have been spawning in the entire Closed Area for years, suggesting that a significant portion of the overall biomass would remain intact even after opening these areas to fishing. Additionally, the identified areas exhibit the lowest amount of complex bottom conditions, reducing the likelihood of adverse habitat impacts from scallop fishing.

Citing a long-term study conducted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Mayor Mitchell emphasized that most habitats recover from scallop fishing impacts in less than 10 months, with even more complex habitats fully recovering within six years. This scientific evidence supports the feasibility and sustainability of opening the identified areas to scallop fishing.

It is anticipated that opening these areas wouldn’t necessitate new habitat closures elsewhere, easing the burden on other fishing interests.

National Marine Fisheries Service Regional Administrator Mike Pentony echoed support for moving forward with opening the two concept areas, noting that it was too early to abandon the concept areas over enforcement concerns, and that more can be done to improve enforceability if there are concerns.

Following Mayor Mitchell’s testimony, the Council took votes advancing Areas #2 and #4 towards a final action, possibly slated for September. This aligns with the Mayor’s request, both in his letter to Chair Eric Reid and in his in-person testimony.

The Port of New Bedford is the most valuable commercial fishing port in the U.S., maintaining its leadership position for more than two decades. With more than 7,000 jobs and 400 fishing vessels, the Port serves as a cornerstone of the regional economy, driving shoreside businesses and attracting significant public and private investments.

While New Bedford’s fishing vessels harvest multiple species, scallops remain the prime drivers of economic activity within the Port. Mayor Mitchell highlighted the fishermen’s commitment to maintaining the resource and their recognition of the strategic long-term importance of managing the scallop biomass.

The mayor’s letter to the NEFMC is available here.

 

Fishery council considering Mitchell’s plea to open Northern Edge to scallopers

April 18, 2024 — Mayor Jon Mitchell and New Bedford fishing representatives are urging the regional regulatory council to open up the Northern Edge — a lucrative scallop ground that has long been closed to commercial fishing. The council, which shot the motion down five years ago, has agreed to consider the request.

On Tuesday, Mitchell delivered testimony to the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC). He cited challenging years ahead for the scallop industry, which is being strained by a slump in prices and fewer days at sea for fishermen; and he stressed the importance of the scallop fishery as a foundational part of the port’s economy.

“The scallop fishery is facing some challenging years upcoming, after a few years of low recruitment,” Mitchell wrote in a letter to the council. “The industry would benefit greatly by adding these areas to its available fishing grounds.”

The region under consideration is the northernmost portion of the broad and productive fishing grounds called Georges Bank. In 1994, the Northern Edge was closed to commercial fishing to protect habitat for spawning cod and other bottom dwelling fisheries. Thirty years later, scallop representatives told the council, groundfish populations like cod have continued to decline while the area has remained locked up to scallopers.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Light

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.