Saving Seafood

Sea Scallop Camera-Based Survey Expanded on Georges Bank

July 18, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, School for Marine Science and Technology will add the Northern Flank and Closed Area II North to this year’s planned survey work around Georges Bank to track sea scallop aggregations.

The survey, which uses a drop-camera array, is also covering the Great South Channel, Nantucket Lightship, and the Closed Area I Access Area.

“Taking on this additional work while in the middle of a busy survey season exemplifies the School for Marine Science and Technology’s dedication to supporting the scallop fishery,” said Jon Hare, director of NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center. “It’s also a great example of the importance of our strong partnerships in the region that provide science to support management of this valuable resource.”

The University’s survey is funded by the sale of sea scallops that are set aside from the annual catch limit through the Sea Scallop Research Set-Aside Program. The New England Fishery Management Council established this unique program to address research questions that support management of the sea scallop resource.

Awards are made in pounds, not dollars, and no federal funding is provided. Instead, proceeds generated from the sale of set-aside scallops are used to fund research activities and compensate participating vessels.

Read the full release here

MASSACHUSETTS: Gift from the sea: New Bedford’s bounty starts with scallops

July 16, 2019 — On a recent evening at Cork Wine & Tapas, which occupies a stone warehouse built when New Bedford was king of whaling, four people at the bar made quick work of the pan-seared sea scallops.

It’s a hard dish to eat slowly. I know — I’ve been hooked on Cork’s famous plateful since the harborside restaurant opened in 2007. The scallop meats, firm but tender, are served on ginger-garlic jasmine rice and irresistibly drizzled with roasted macadamia cream sauce. The added bonus, of course, is that the scallops on your fork are nearly fresh off the boat.

“Fresh! Never frozen,” said Cork’s chef, Nick Santerre, who receives two batches of scallops from his suppliers each week. “There’s no need for frozen!” Santerre spoke so fervently about how he sources his scallops, I thought he must be descended from Portuguese fishermen, but it turns out he’s part French and Irish with a whisker of Native American.

Read the full story at The Boston Globe

REPORTER: U.S. Scallop Supply Increases 3rd Year In A Row

July 3, 2019 — SEAFOOD NEWS — With a combined approach of effort limitation and rotating harvest areas, the Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) is one of the most valuable fisheries in the United States, and is the most valuable wild scallop fishery in the world. It’s managed by the New England Fishery Management Council in cooperation with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council under the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fisheries Management Plan, which maximizes scallop yields while protecting beds of young scallops.

According to the NEFMC Council Report, Framework Adjustment 30 to the Atlantic Sea Scallop FMP, which contains catch specifications for the 2019 and 2020 (default) fishing years, has been approved by NMFS for implementation. The most likely scenario includes seven 18,000 lb. access area trips and 24 days-at-sea. These allocations are projected to result in landings of about 60 million pounds of scallops in FY 2019.

Scallop Trade

Scallop imports into the United States increased 12.4%, or 5.1 million pounds in 2018 compared to the previous year. However, this increase was largely due to the abundant volume rushed in from China in December 2018, ahead of the 25% tariff increase originally set for a January 1, 2019 implementation, which was later postponed. China continues to be the largest scallop supplier to the United States, accounting for about 46% of the 46.5 million pounds of scallops imported into the U.S. Shipping fewer scallops to the U.S. are Argentina (-13.6%) and Japan (-33%), while China (15.4%), Canada (5.5%), Mexico (2394.7%) and Peru (190.1%) have shipped more in 2018 than the previous year (Chart 1).

Export activity declined year-overyear. January to December exports totaled 14.1 million pounds, 14% fewer than the 16.4 million pounds shipped out in 2017. Canada remains our largest export destination, accounting for roughly 29% of annual exports; other significant destinations for U.S. production are the Netherlands, France, Belgium and the United Kingdom.

The Markets 

More imports, larger landings, and a decline in exports, resulted in an increase in net supply. Our net supply calculation suggests an annual total of nearly 87 million pounds compared to 75 million in 2017; a 16% improvement (Chart 2).

The market for U.S. origin sea scallops fell as seasonally expected at the start of the new season, but strengthened throughout the end of the year amid little to no landings of larger domestic U/10 sized sea scallops. The market held somewhat of an unsettled undertone as varying inventory positions broadened  the range of wholesale offerings available to customers. Those with thin inventories reported higher premiums, while those with more stable inventory holdings were able to offer a lower price. The average price paid for a domestic dry U10 in 2018 was $12.18, down 20% from the previous year average of $15.25/lb. Similarly, dry 10/20 count scallops decreased by 4.6%, averaging $10.30/lb. compared to $10.80 in 2017.

The market for Canada origin sea scallops saw premiums developing during 2018 Q4. Frozen inventory levels were not as abundant compared to previous years and one factor contributing to this were fewer exports from Japan into Canada. In 2018, while Japan harvested the same number of scallops as expected, the harvest was of a smaller size, attributing to about 25% less product available for export. Less exports paired with strong domestic demand in Japan was one of the factors attributing to the Canadian wholesale market strengthening at the end of their calendar year season.

The average price paid for a 10/20 count Canadian sea scallop in 2018 was $11.91/lb., down 12.8% from the previous average of $13.66/lb. in 2017.

Looking Forward

Conservation efforts have been strong resulting in productive years for fisherman. The outlook for this year is that with an increased net supply, prices could continue to fall, attracting a wider consumer base at the restaurant and retail levels this summer, once again. However, while landings thus far in the 2019 season have been abundant, the quality is being noted as “medium” with a higher than favorable percentage of splits and pieces. Will quantity outweigh quality and keep prices down? The coming months will tell…

This story was originally published on SeafoodNews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

2019 Northeast Sea Scallop Survey Finishes

June 24, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The 2019 Northeast sea scallop survey got underway May 15 aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp, first covering stations in the Mid-Atlantic and then on Georges Bank. Operations concluded on June 14.

This survey occurs annually. It uses both a dredge to collect physical samples of sea life and their habitat, and a towed vehicle known as the HabCam. The HabCam is fitted with a number of sampling instruments, including cameras that photograph the ocean bottom. This dual sampling method enriches data available to researchers and helps ensure that information can be collected even if one of the systems fails during survey operations.

2019 NEFSC Sampling Effort

Most of the dredge operations occurred on Georges Bank. Planned dredge stations were completed throughout the Georges Bank area, and additional stations were added in the Great South Channel. Only two dredge stations were planned for the Mid-Atlantic area. These were completed.

HabCam coverage in the Mid-Atlantic was the most comprehensive achieved by the Center survey to date.

On Georges Bank, only the Southern Flank tracks and a small part of the northern Great South Channel were covered—about 30 percent of planned HabCam tracks for Georges Bank. HabCam tracks planned for the Northeast Edge and most of Great South Channel were not completed owing to operational issues with the HabCam vehicle and two days of unworkable weather.

“The sea scallop fishery is among the most valuable in the region, and people who rely on it also rely on us to provide the best possible data,” said Jon Hare, director of NOAA Fisheries’ Northeast Fisheries Science Center. “We were able to conduct additional dredge samples in the areas of Georges Bank that HabCam did not cover, and the team on the vessel did an excellent job adapting to the situation.”

Read the full release here

Effective on June 23 – Closed Area I Scallop Access Area is Closed for the Limited Access General Category Individual Fishing Quota Fleet

June 24, 2019 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

NOAA Fisheries announces the closure of the Closed Area I Access Area to limited access general category (LAGC) individual fishing quota (IFQ) scallop vessels effective 0001 hours, on June 23, 2019 through March 31, 2020.

As of June 23, 2019, no scallop vessel fishing under LAGC IFQ regulations may fish for, possess, or land scallops in or from the Closed Area I Access Area. The scallop regulations require that we close this area once we project that the LAGC fleet has fished all of the 571 trips allocated to them in this area.

Vessels that have complied with the observer notification requirements, have declared a trip into the Closed Area I Scallop Access Area using the correct Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) code, and have crossed the VMS demarcation line before 0001 hr, June 23, 2019, may complete their trip and retain and land scallops caught from the Closed Area I Scallop Access Area.

For more details, please read the rule as filed in the Federal Register and our permit holder bulletin.

Read the full release here

HabCam loss during Northeast scallop survey raises concerns about survey management

June 18, 2019 — The loss of the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center “HabCam” (short for Habitat Mapping Camera) during a recent scallop survey has raised concerns from some groups about the transparency of the survey process.

The sea scallop survey of the U.S. Northeast scallop fishery performed by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center uses a combination of dredging and the HabCam to determine the densities of scallops at survey stations in the areas that are typically fished. Data from both the camera and the dredge, as well as data from a number of other surveys performed by colleges and other institutions,  are used to create a model that the various government organizations managing the resource – including the New England Fisheries Management Council (NEFMC) – use to set quotas for the coming year.

The HabCam is towed behind the research vessel on a long tether and is used to take detailed photos of the sea floor in order to get ideas on how dense and mature the scallop population is. According to the science center, during a survey of the Great South Channel on 6 June the HabCam struck an uncharted object in 130 feet of water, severing the tow cable.

“The weak link in the tow cable broke, as intended when tension is too great,” the science center wrote in a release. “This limits damage to both the instrument and the ship’s tow winch. The HabCam was separated from the ship, but a sound-emitting locator attached to it signaled its location.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Northeast Sea Scallop Survey Concludes This Weekend

June 14, 2019 — The Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s 2019 Northeast sea scallop survey is expected to be completed this weekend.

The survey, which is conducted from the Mid-Atlantic to Georges Bank, aims to determine the distribution and abundance of scallops and associated fauna using a dredge, and a stereo-optic towed camera array.

The scallop fishery is one of the nation’s most valuable.

The survey was recently impacted as the HabCAM hit a large rock breaking the tow cable.

Read the full story at CapeCod.com

NEFMC Scallops: Amendment 21 Comments; Framework 32; RSA Priorities

June 13, 2019 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Management Council:

During its June meeting in So. Portland, ME, the New England Fishery Management Council made several decisions related to the Atlantic sea scallop fishery.

Amendment 21: The Council reviewed summaries of both oral and written comments gathered during the public scoping process for Amendment 21 to the Atlantic Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The Council then cast several votes to help guide further work on the amendment.

Framework Adjustment 32: The Council is working on this action to develop: (1) specifications for the 2020 scallop fishing year; (2) default specifications for 2021; (3) measures to reduce impacts on Georges Bank yellowtail flounder; and (4) options to utilize the dense biomass of small scallops in the Nantucket Lightship South “Deep” Area.

Scallop Research Set-Aside (RSA) Program: The Council approved research priorities for the 2020-2021
scallop RSA award cycle.

Read the full release here

Fisheries Survival Fund: HabCam Failure Threatens 2019 Atlantic Sea Scallop Survey

June 12, 2019 — The following was released by the Fisheries Survival Fund:

The loss, recovery, and now electrical failure of the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center “HabCam”habitat mapping camera means that the all-important 2019 Northeast sea scallop survey now continues as a dredge-only survey. The federal survey will thus conclude on June 15 without crucial sampling instruments, including cameras that photograph the ocean bottom. The HabCam, towed just above the ocean floor, provides a non-invasive, extensive, optically-based survey of the Atlantic scallop resource and ocean floor. NOAA Fisheries is working to make the HabCam a centerpiece research and survey tool.

For its part, the scallop fishery is one of the nation’s most valuable and sustainable. On average, over a half billion dollars of scallops are landed each year in New England and Mid-Atlantic fishing ports. The fishery has prospered in large part due to NOAA Fisheries and scallop-industry funded cooperative research teams from universities and foundations obtaining and using real-time data and information regarding scallop growth and abundance. Federal scientists use the HabCam and a dredge survey, and the federal surveys are supplemented with cooperative dredge and optical surveys, conducted in partnership between the fishing industry and its research partners.

On June 6, the HabCam was being towed by the Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharpin the area known as the Great South Channel and hit an uncharted object in about 130 feet of water. The HabCam separated from the ship when the weak link in the tow cable broke. According to NOAA, this is “intended when tension is too great [in order to limit] damage to both the instrument and the ship’s tow winch.” Four days later, on June 10, commercial divers recovered the instrument. “The vehicle was inspected and minor repairs made, before deploying this morning. The HabCam initially operated as usual, but soon encountered power problems,” NOAA reported.

This disruption will hamper the survey, especially in the Great South Channel, which is a vital scallop harvesting area. The optical survey is particularly important due to the presence of numerous boulders in this area, which make dredge surveys difficult or impossible. This is an area with high yield to the fishery, and one dredge survey is inadequate to determine the size of the biomass in the area.

Government researchers charter the Research Vessel Hugh R. Sharpfor only a specific numbers of days each year, so any day lost has an impact. As a result of this failure, the survey will be conducted for fewer days, and we will therefore have less data to manage the scallop resource.

No matter how staunchly officials protest to the contrary, the HabCam’s loss and electrical failure willimpact our ability to manage the resource.

Sadly, this is the second time in just three years that the $450,000 HabCam has been lost and recovered while operating. On May 20, 2016, scientists aboard the Hugh R. Sharpresearch vessel were conducting scallop surveys about 75 miles southeast of Delaware Bay, between New Jersey and Delaware, when, according to NOAA, the HabCam “separated from the tow cable and the vessel” in about 80 meters of water.

Considering that this is not the first time this has happened, and bearing in mind that by the NOAA Science Center’s own declaration, the weak link is inserted intentionally to limit potential damage to the instrument, it is difficult to understand why no contingency plan is in place to address a loss situation that is both predictable, and known to arise if or when the weak link does its job.

Despite the seriousness of this equipment failure to the survey’s success, NOAA did not inform the public or the industry about this failure until it was directly and publicly asked about the status of the survey at this week’s New England Fishery Management Council meeting, a full five days after the incident occurred. The industry stands ready to partner with the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and asks that the science center improve its dialogue and communication with the industry and the taxpaying public.

Fair Trade founder heralds the rise of the conscious consumer

June 12, 2019 — The age of the conscious consumer has arrived, much to the delight of Fair Trade USA founder and CEO Paul Rice.

The keynote speaker at this year’s SeaWeb Seafood Summit – taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 10 to 14 June – Rice shared some promising news about modern consumer behavior with conference attendees, all of whom have a vested interest in the sustainable seafood movement.

“Consumers are changing the world,” he said. “Their purchasing decisions are both luring more companies into the sustainability space and rewarding those companies that do.”

Shoppers are increasingly opening up their minds and wallets to seafood that appeals to their growing sustainability sensibilities, Rice explained, referencing an impressive leap in sales experienced by one of the certifier’s seafood partners after the supplier introduced Fair Trade scallops to its portfolio.

“One of the companies that we work with in our sustainability program had scallop sales of 3 percent year-over-year growth – they introduced Fair Trade scallops and their sales growth on the scallop line jumped to 38 percent,” Rice said. “Now that’s an extraordinary and probably unusual sales bump as a result of adding the Fair Trade label, but it illustrates the point, which is regardless of what certification it is or what sustainability attribute we add to products, consumers are hungry to reward companies that are doing the right thing and are looking for products that speak to their values.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source