Early projections suggest Northeast US may get lower scallop quota in 2025

Published Oct 9, 2024

Tridge summary

The Northeast U.S. scallop fishery is projected to have a lower total allowable catch in 2025 due to a decrease in biomass from 2023 to 2024, as found in recent surveys. This decline, following a significant recruitment event in 2012 to 2013, is expected to result in reduced allocations. Despite a slight increase in biomass in the Georges Bank region in 2023, the scallop population remains low, with high recruitment areas presenting mixed challenges. The New England Fishery Management Council is considering various options for the 2025 fishing season, including potential closures to allow for scallop growth, and is monitoring market implications.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The latest scientific surveys of scallop fishing areas in the Northeast U.S. show biomass decreased from 2023 to 2024 – which will likely result in a lower total allowable catch in 2025. The scallop fishery in the Northeast U.S. is one of the most valuable fisheries in the country and has been grappling with lower quotas since a massive 2019 season saw the fishery land over 60 million pounds. That season was largely thanks to a massive recruitment event that occurred in the 2012 to 2013 scallop class, but now, those scallops have either been fished or aged out of the fishery. According to the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC), biomass in the Georges Bank region increased slightly between 2022 and 2023 – part of the reason the fishery was granted a slightly higher TAC in 2024. NEFMC predicted a catch of 27.4 million pounds in 2024, up slightly from the 25 million pounds predicted in 2023.Surveys performed in 2024 by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, UMass ...

Source: Seafoodsource