Scallops: Wild

Giant scallop

Hotate

Farmed scallops are a more sustainable option than wild-caught scallops, however the vast majority of scallops on the market are wild caught and rank as either “Some Concerns” or “Avoid” depending on region. Because of how they feed, in some situations scallops may improve water quality, and since they do not rely on fishmeal or fish oil-based feeds, scallop farms have a low impact on marine resources. In addition, scallop farms rarely use fertilizers, antibiotics and other chemicals that could spread into surrounding waters. Of the two ways to farm scallops, off-bottom culture is preferred. Some scallop farming does have habitat impacts as well as impacts to marine resources because of dredging and the collection of wild larvae (spat). 

Dredging is the harvest method for wild scallops, which has severe habitat impacts and bycatch concerns.

The life history characteristics of scallops make them inherently resilient to fishing pressure. This species is relatively widespread across the northwest Atlantic and has an extensive larval dispersal.

Biomass of scallops has increased since the mid 1990s in all fisheries. Dredging inevitably skews age distributions in the areas in which it is employed, as it removes all large scallops from an area. Canadian and US stocks are considered healthy, largely due to scallop populations in closed areas.

Both the northern and southern sea scallop fisheries have bycatch concerns. In the mid-Atlantic loggerhead turtles, a species listed as threatened, are caught as bycatch.

The scallop fishery operates almost completely through dredging bottom habitats which has severe impacts on benthic communities. The scallop fishery stretches from Newfoundland to North Carolina, covering a large spatial scale and has altered a significant amount of benthic ecosystems.

Both US and Canadian and fisheries utilize scientific and independent stock assessments. Despite regularly seeking scientific advice, US management has historically failed to prevent overfishing.

Are these scallops wild or farmed?

Where were they caught?

How were they farmed?

Farmed – Suspended culture scallops are the most sustainable choice.

Contaminant levels do not warrant a consumption advisory.

No.