Tag Archives: scallops
Mayor Mitchell advocates for scallopers
Mayor Jon Mitchell is advocating for the New England Fishery Management Council to open the Northern edge scallop grounds to New Bedford commercial fishermen. In a letter to Chairman of the Board, Eric Reid, Mitchell said that making these areas available would benefit the industry greatly and create a “key new source of scallops.” “While there are multiple species that are harvested by New Bedford fishing vessels, scallops are the prime drivers of economic activity within the Port of New Bedford,” Mitchell wrote. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:54
Scallop wallop – Japanese imports are taking a bite out of New Bedford’s lucrative seafood industry at a time when the region’s shellfish are in shorter supply.
Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, landed a deal to supply U.S. military bases in Japan with scallops and other Japanese seafood products. Japan is an ally, he said, and it is important to support one of their major industries in a challenging moment. “In America we have a saying about being a good neighbor,” Emanuel said, according to the military news service Stars and Stripes. “This is being a good neighbor.” The recent spike in Japanese scallop imports is a complex political tangle. But in the U.S. seafood trade, distributors aren’t buying Japanese scallops to be neighborly, as Emanuel put it. “It’s business,” said Drew Minkiewicz, a D.C. attorney who represents commercial fishing and shipping interests. “Japan’s government is making a targeted effort to push as many scallops as they can into the U.S. That competes directly with our scallops here.” more, >>click to read<< 12:36
Ocean Choice sells Nova Scotia offshore scallop quota
Ocean Choice International has sold its offshore Nova Scotia scallop quotas to three Nova Scotia companies with a long history harvesting sea scallops off the coast of Nova Scotia – Mersey Seafoods Limited, LaHave Seafoods Limited and Comeau’s Sea Foods Limited. ‘We are committed to sustainably growing our place in the fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador; and this decision supports our investment and growth in our business and the fishing industry here at home,’ said Ocean Choice CEO Martin Sullivan. As part of the agreement, Ocean Choice is also acquiring Newfoundland and Labrador offshore quota for Greenland halibut and northern cod from Mersey, and Greenland halibut, northern cod and redfish from LaHave, further strengthening the company’s Newfoundland- and Labrador-based business. more, >>click to read<< 10:21
A day on the ocean with Maine’s tough winter scallopers
Their day began in the 5:30 a.m. darkness, when Josh Todd and his father, Alex Todd, steamed the F/V Jacob & Joshua from Chebeague Island to Littlejohn Island, where they picked up Blanchard. As Alex Todd piloted his boat to the day’s fishing ground west of Eagle Island, Josh Todd and Blanchard readied the vessel’s eight-foot, 1,500-pound dredge where it hung from scaffolding at the stern. Once in position, Blanchard lowered the dredge on a quarter-inch steel cable. The Jacob & Joshua shuddered, and the rigging groaned, as the dredge bit into the graveled sea floor, roughly 80 feet below. 8 photos, more, >>click to read<< 08:15
Canadian scallop quota valued at $200M sells to 3 Nova Scotia companies
In a blockbuster seafood deal, St. John’s-based Ocean Choice International (OCI) has sold its Canadian offshore scallop quota, worth an estimated $200 million, to three Nova Scotia companies. Ocean Choice held 16.77 per cent of the offshore scallop quota, which is fished mostly on Georges Bank off southern Nova Scotia. A key driver in the sale was the sinking of the company’s factory trawler Atlantic Destiny on Georges Bank in March 2021. CEO Martin Sullivan says they opted not to replace it. “We were looking at our options and we talked to these three Nova Scotia companies that have been industry partners of ours for a long time.” more, >>click to read<< 08:08
East Hampton fishing for stiffer laws against ‘organized crab crime ring’ stealing bushels of shellfish
Town officials are fishing for even stiffer laws in the war against “organized crab crime rings.” The tougher penalties are needed to turn the tide against “vans full of” out-of-towners bagging “bushels and bushels of shellfish out of Napeague Harbor” and other waterways including Georgica Pond, the town’s attorneys said. “They basically just start taking everything they can grab from the shallows and those two waters: from clams to scallops to conchs, hermit crabs, blue claw crabs. Pretty much grab any size of anything they can in sight,” said Chris Carillo, attorney for the town’s trustees. The night raiders employ a lookout to alert them to Marine Patrol officers and those who are caught don’t carry ID, and because it’s merely a violation, the offenders avoid being fitted for handcuffs, Carillo said. >click to read< 18:41
Peconic Bay Scallops are a legacy at risk
For more than 30 years, Tim Sweat has spent the early morning hours of winter on Peconic Bay. By noon on most days, he would collect thousands of pounds of scallops — enough to cover the daily cost of maintaining his boat, plus put aside some extra money for the holidays. But for the last four years, as bay scallops continue to die off at an alarming rate, he’s finished the season with little to show for his efforts. “I’ve spent most of my life out here on the water; fishing is my whole life. But the future is not looking very promising for the smaller boats like me,” Sweat said. “We’re struggling to make a living out here, things keep dying off.” >click to read< 13:33
Sitka scallop fishery a test of one entrepreneur’s ingenuity and skill
On days when Evan O’Brien isn’t diving for pink swimming scallops or harvesting gooseneck barnacles off steep rock faces at low tide you can find him in a slip at Thomsen Harbor, working on the new diving boat he purchased from Oxnard, California earlier this year. The F/V Sinbad was purchased by O’Brien for his company, Merrick Shellfish, from a sea urchin diver, so the boat is equipped with everything he needs for a dive. So what does a typical dive for these scallops look like? “You’ll swim up to a boulder or something that’s covered with them,” O’Brien explains. “And in the winter like this, maybe, I don’t know, 10 to 20% of them will take off, start swimming,” he continues. “I just leave those, and I harvest the ones that stay, because they’re kind of dormant and they’re sort of hibernating, so they’re easier to harvest.” Video, >click to read< 16:45
Scallop season winds down
As the state’s commercial scallop season winds to a close, federal regulators on April 1 decreased the amount that draggers can land in 2023 in the Northern Gulf of Maine by 25,000 pounds. Total landings for the NGOM for 2023 are 434,311 pounds, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced March 31 as part of its overall NGOM Management Plan for 2023. Vessels are limited to possessing 1,666 pounds of in-shell scallops. NOAA had closed the NGOM scallop fishery on May 26, 2022, when its quota had been landed, effective through March 31 of this year, with Maine and Massachusetts vessels exempted if they were exclusively fishing in state waters. >click to read< 16:28
Edgartown Extends Cape Pogue Scallop Season
Following a banner year for Island bay scallops, the town of Edgartown has opted to extend commercial bay scallop season in Cape Pogue an extra two weeks until April 14. “We’re seeing the best bay scallop season we’ve seen in all my and the fishermen’s 25 years’ experience,” shellfish constable Rob Morrison told the select board on Monday. The commercial season for bay scallop fishing typically begins November 1 and ends March 31. Earlier this year, bay scallop fishermen struggled to take advantage of the plentiful yield as scallop prices plunged to almost half their normal rate. >click to read< 10:57
New Bedford mayor calls for closed scallop grounds to reopen to fishermen
“Recent research by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and others demonstrates that the Northern Edge can sustain scallop fishing. Given this research, I do not see a pressing need to conduct additional research before opening the Northern Edge,” Mitchell stated in written testimony submitted to the NEFMC. While New Bedford fishing vessels harvest multiple species, he said, “scallops are the prime drivers” of the Port of New Bedford’s economy, the most valuable commercial fishing port in the United States. >click to read< 06:31
New Research Supports Opening of Currently Closed Scallop Areas
Data presented to the New England Fishery Management Council last month provide the latest evidence that long-closed areas of the Northwest Atlantic can be sustainably opened to the scallop fishery. The Fisheries Survival Fund, which represents the vast majority of full-time Atlantic Sea scallop fishermen, has long believed that these areas can be safely opened, and supports efforts to do so in light of this new evidence. The Northern Edge of Georges Bank (more formally known as Closed Area II Habitat Area of Particular Concern), has been closed to all commercial fishing activity since 1994. >click to read< 10:00
8 Types of Scallops – What to Know About Them and Ways to Cook
While they are no longer regarded as rich man’s food, they are still pretty pricey. And this is primarily due to the supply-and-demand concept. More importantly, they are full of health benefits. As impressive as scallops are, they are a confusing species. From dry versus wet scallops to divers and day boats, there’s a lot to them. We are here to clear the air. This article discusses the common scallop varieties and ways to cook each mollusk. We’ll also discuss how you can store them and how to avoid buying fake scallops. Yes, that’s right: Fake scallops exist. >click to read< 14:32
This Maine fishery owner tries to keep an even keel amid volatile scallop prices
High food prices are hurting households and restaurants alike. Grocery prices for meat, poultry, fish and eggs jumped 12.5% over 2021, according to the consumer price index. Restaurants are fighting inflation by getting creative with menus and portion sizes. But how do you run a business that supplies restaurants when your costs change month to month, week to week or even day to day? That’s what Maine’s fishing industry is dealing with. Togue Brawn, a self-proclaimed “Maine scallop evangelist” and owner of Downeast Dayboat fishery in Bath, said prices for the mollusks have been “through the roof” recently. With fishing quotas, a scarcity in scallops and rising inflation across the country, top-quality scallops cost as much as $38 per pound. >click to read< 12:51
Different Ways to Cook the Perfect Scallops
It’s no surprise that scallops are a favorite of seafood lovers. Tender and slightly sweet, when properly prepared, they’re a culinary marvel. And, with a bit of guidance, you can create restaurant-worthy scallops right at home. Scallops can also be purchased either wet or dry. Opt for dry scallops whenever possible for a better taste and texture. Now that you have some background on which scallops to buy, let’s get cooking! Some excellent recipes for Seared Scallops, Grilled Scallops, Scallops in Cream Sauce, and many more! >click to read< 09:55
From boat to table: Family starts direct-to-consumer scallop business
At the beginning of the pandemic and over 1,000 miles from New Bedford, Britt St. George and Madison Lees quarantined in Florida with their father, John Lees, founder of Mar-Lees Seafood and current president of New England Marine; their mother; and their significant others, Zack St. George and Edward Smith. It was a time in which scallops were a part of nearly every conversation, Madison Lees said, and not just because their father is in the business. It was because the family business was growing. They also figured it would be the perfect time to sell scallops directly to consumers online as restaurants were either closed or running at limited capacity, he said. “Now or never, now is the time to do it,” >click to read< 07:57
Maine fishing regulators are closing the state’s richest scallop fishing grounds
The state is closing Cobscook, Whiting and Dennys bays for the rest of the fishing season starting Sunday to help conserve the scallop population, the Maine Department of Marine Resources said Friday. Cobscook Bay is home to some of the most productive scallop fishing in the state. Maine is also closing a handful of other scallop fishing areas around the state, including instituting a partial closure of western Casco Bay, >click to read< 13:27
The war over scallops and the future of sustainable fishing in Scotland
Just sixty tonnes of the species were landed at Scottish ports in 1960. In 2019 the equivalent figure topped 15,000 tonnes, down 2% from 2018 but still worth nearly £36m. The boom, however, has sparked a sometimes bitter clash between enviros and the fishing industry over how scallops, which grow on the seabed, are harvested. Diver-fishermen and campaigners say dredgers are effectively ploughing through delicate marine environments to create a scallop monoculture off the Scottish coast. >click to read< 08:30
“Seared Diver Scallops”: In these tough economic times, this dive harvester is trying to keep money in the province
Through late summer and early fall, Tim Ball spent as much time as possible underwater in his dive gear, scouring the seabed off the Burin Peninsula for scallops. It’s an ocean-to-table operation that sees his hand-harvested scallops quickly making their way to dinner plates in the downtown of St. 
John’s. Terre Restaurant in St. John’s is one of the destinations for Ball’s scallops. For Ball, that means, among other things, using locally made bags and boxes for packing his scallops and using a Burin Peninsula cab company for sending his catch into St. John’s. “They’re amazing,” said head chef Matthew Swift. “Anywhere else in the world … the idea of marketing day boat scallops is sort of a pipe dream. >click to read< 09:04
A Q&A With Nantucket Scalloper Carl Sjolund
Carl Sjolund has had his feet on the deck of a boat, fishing island waters for scallops, since he was a little boy. He has seen the shellfish fishery rise and fall. To say that fishing is in his blood is not to turn a phrase, but to state a simple fact. His father Rolf came to the island as a young man, from Norway, fresh out of the merchant marine, and fished Georges Bank. His son Jim scalloped with his dad since he was a kid, graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and is now captain of the 184-foot Northern Leader, fishing for cod off Alaska. Nantucket is also in his blood. When did you begin scalloping? I got my first scallop license at 12 years old. Charlie Sayle and I had a merger. He had an old boat, and I had an outboard motor, or I forget maybe it was the other way around.,, >click to read< 16:00
Scallops open at $16-$22 a pound
Nantucket’s commercial scalloping season opened Monday morning with a fleet of about 16 fishermen heading into Nantucket and Madaket harbors at low tide with gusty winds of 25-30 mph. The scallopers were bringing their catch to island fish markets by 2 p.m., which were charging customers $16-22 per pound for shucked scallop meat, compared to $25-26 on opening day last year. Ninety-six island fishermen took out commercial scalloping licenses this year, according to town natural resources coordinator Joanne Dodd. There were 108 commercial licenses issued last year, and 79 the year before. >click to read< 11:13
The F/V Martha Rose: her catch, crew, and mission – As Fresh as it Gets
Three times a week, the Martha Rose sets out of Menemsha’s cozy harbor and, engine roaring, begins the 14-hour journey to the local scalloping beds. In weather fair or foul, the 77-foot fishing vessel chugs out of Menemsha Bight, rounds the nose of Aquinnah, and then charts a steady course to the southeast. The sea scallop beds currently designated as fishable lie one hundred miles out, and some thirty or forty fathoms down. Once the Martha Rose arrives, her crew of three waste no time putting out the ship’s dredge and preparing the deck to bring in the first haul. photos, >click to read< 09:26
Providing seafood to the public in Gloucester: Drive-Thru “Pop-Up” Event-Tuesday 3/31/20
We at Fisherman’s Wharf Gloucester were so overwhelmed with the unexpected turnout from Saturday’s event. We want to continue to provide seafood to the public. We’re stocking up on Fresh Haddock right off F/V Miss Trish II and Scallops from our local day boats. Thank you for your support of our local business, and we look forward to seeing you at Tuesday’s event. Scallop and Haddock Drive-Thru “Pop-Up” Event, Tuesday March 31st Starting at 12:00 pm-5pm 37 Rogers Street, Gloucester, MA details, photos, >click to read< 10:01
The Seagan Movement: Are Scallops Actually Vegan?
When it comes to bivalves, the line between plant and animal is unclear. The rules of veganism, at first glance, seem pretty clear. Vegans don’t consume any food derived from animals.,, Now, to complicate matters further, there’s an entire movement dedicated to seagan eating, which argues that seafood truly belongs in a vegan diet.,, “Eating products from well-managed fisheries benefits the environment in many ways,” explains Togue Brawn of Maine-based scallop supplier Downeast Dayboat. >click to read< 07:41
The Best North Queensland seafood available for Christmas
Fishers are encouraging families to include wild caught Australian seafood in their festive feast in a bid to prop up the industry amid regulatory green-tape.,,, “There is that much pressure on the fishing industry, that for some the future is looking pretty bleak,” Mr Dansie said. “The biggest things is that if people want to have real Australian seafood they need to keep buying and supporting us.” >click to read< Support your fishing industry! 15:34
Federal Fishing Expansion Could Endanger Right Whales
Trump regulators opened about 3,100 square miles of ocean to fishing for scallops and fish that live near the bottom of the ocean such as halibut and flounder that had been closed for more than two decades, including a section of Georges Bank off Cape Cod, Mass., and part of the ocean near southern New England.,, A scallop fishing industry group, Fisheries Survival Fund, said no scallop vessel has ever had an interaction with a right whale. >click to read< 11:29
Fines to rogue fishermen fall and illegal fishing escapes prosecution, environmentalists claim
Concerns have been raised recently that fishermen are increasingly involved in illegal scallop dredging and prawn trawling to supply a black market in seafood, at the expense of Scotland’s marine environment.,,, Environmentalists claim that the Scottish Government is not treating damage to MPAs by boats as “serious crimes”. They have accused the official body tasked with protecting seas, Marine Scotland, of failing to take tough enforcement action against skippers breaking the law. >click to read< 13:54
America’s got scallops: Catch is up, consumers shelling out
America’s harvest of scallops is increasing to near-record levels at a time when the shellfish are in high demand and the value of the fishery has surged in recent years. Sea scallops, harvested mostly by boats from the cold Atlantic Ocean, are the target of one of the most valuable fisheries in America. New data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says the harvest topped 58.2 million pounds last year, the highest total since 2011 and the fifth-highest in history according to federal statistics going back to 1945. >click to read< 15:30
What About Carlos Rafael, His Permits and His Boats? [OPINION]
There has been little public talk about “The Codfather” and his fishing empire since he was sentenced to federal prison for crimes related to fishing. In September of 2017, Judge William Young sentenced Carlos “The Codfather” Rafael to 46 months in federal prison. Additionally, Judge Young fined him $200,000 and three years supervised probation after his release from prison.,,, hearing rumors that two big players have emerged as the buyers of the boats and the all-important federal permits. One buyer wants the groundfish operation and one wants the scallop operation. There is concern locally that “Wall Street money” is coming in to buy up the local operations. >click to read<08:21
Kodiak man dives into scallop fishery – has been fishing scallops out of Kodiak for 40 years
With regards to scallops, Tom Minio could accurately be described as erudite. On Thursday afternoon, Minio sat in the galley of his vessel, the Provider, explaining what makes the best product, while the metallic screeches of boat work drifted in from other parts of the vessel. “The market really loves the big stuff, which I don’t understand. I don’t like eating big scallops,” he said. “It’s just like old halibut, you know: the bigger they are, the older they are and the tougher they are.” Minio has been fishing scallops out of Kodiak for 40 years. He started when he was 18 years old and doesn’t know anyone who’s been doing it longer than he has. With a small number of limited entry permits available and the quota around Kodiak decreasing, other fishermen and vessels dropped out of the fishery — but Minio held on. During the most recent season, the Provider was the only vessel fishing scallops in the Kodiak fishery. >click to read<14:01
