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Species Directory

Atlantic Sea Scallop

Overview Management Recreational Fishing Commercial Fishing Management Areas Observer Program Science Resources

Atlantic Sea Scallop

Placopecten magellanicus

640x427-sea-scallop.png
Also Known As
Scallop, Sea scallop, Giant scallop

Quick Facts

Region
New England/Mid-Atlantic
Fish Watch. U.S. Seafood Facts Logo
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About The Species

The primary Atlantic sea scallop fishery operates along the Atlantic coast from the Mid-Atlantic to the US/Canada border. The scallop fishery uses predominantly paired or single scallop dredges throughout the entire range of the fishery. To a lesser extent, and mainly in the Mid-Atlantic region, the scallop fishery uses trawl gear. Most vessels land scallops as shucked meats (the adductor muscle) but some vessels also land whole (in-shell) scallops. U.S. wild-caught Atlantic sea scallop is a smart seafood choice because it is sustainably managed and responsibly harvested under U.S. regulations. Implementing regulations are found at 50 CFR part 648 subpart D.

Population Status Icon

Population Level

Above target population level.

Fishing Status Icon

Fishing Status

At recommended level.

Habitat Impacts Icon

Habitat Impacts

Area closures and gear restrictions protect habitat that are affected by some kinds of trawl and dredge gear.

Bycatch Icon

Bycatch

Regulations are in place to minimize bycatch.

Status

  • According to the 2018 stock assessment, Atlantic sea scallops are not overfished and are not subject to overfishing. Summary stock assessment information can be found on Stock SMART.

Appearance

  • Scallops are bivalves (having two shells), like clams and oysters.
  • The shells are held together by the adductor muscle (the part of the scallop Americans typically eat).
  • Sea scallops have a saucer-shaped shell with scalloped or fluted edges.
  • The upper shell is usually reddish-pink or brown in color. The lower shell is white or cream.
  • A small percentage (5-10 percent) of sea scallops are albinos, with white upper and lower shells.
  • Sea scallop shells are smooth and lack the prominent ribbing that is characteristic of most other scallop shells. It is thought that the sea scallop’s smooth shell is an adaptation to allow it to propel itself faster and farther.

Biology

  • Sea scallops can live up to 20 years. They grow quickly for the first few years of their life.
  • The largest scallop ever reported was about 9 inches in shell height, but they typically don’t grow larger than 6 inches.
  • Sea scallops can reproduce by age 2, but don’t produce many eggs or sperm until they are about 4 years old.
  • They are very fertile—a female sea scallop can produce hundreds of millions of eggs per year. For this reason, scallops may respond more rapidly to management actions than species that reproduce slowly and in small numbers.
  • Sea scallops usually spawn in late summer or early fall. They also may spawn in the spring, especially in the Mid-Atlantic Bight.
  • After hatching, scallop larvae remain in the water column for 4 to 6 weeks before settling on the ocean floor.
  • Sea scallops feed by filtering phytoplankton or other small organisms out of the water column, which can actually help to improve water quality by removing suspended materials.
  • Many kinds of pelagic fish and invertebrates eat scallop larvae.
  • Cod, wolffish, eel pout, flounder, crabs, lobster, sea turtles, and sea stars feed on juvenile and adult scallops.
  • Using its adductor muscle to snap its top and bottom shells open and shut, a sea scallop can propel itself through the water. This helps them escape predators, such as sea stars, that other bivalves like mussels, clams, and oysters can’t avoid.

Where They Live

  • Atlantic sea scallops are found in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, from Newfoundland to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Management

  • NOAA Fisheries and the New England Fishery Management Council manage the Atlantic sea scallop fishery.
  • Managed under the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan:
    • Managers determine a total allowable catch for the scallop fishery based on estimates of the scallop population. They allocate this catch amount to different groups of the fishery, depending on their permit type and historical catch, through days-at-sea and number of trips to special access areas.
    • Other management measures include:
      • Limits on crew size.
      • Areas closed to scallop dredging to allow young scallops to grow large and reproduce, and to reduce bycatch of non-targeted species.
      • Vessels harvesting scallops must use vessel monitoring systems (a satellite communications system used to monitor fishing activities).
      • Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQs), a type of catch share program, for Limited Access General Category permit holders.
    • There is a sea scallop fishery in the Gulf of Maine that operates in both federal and state waters. This fishery primarily occurs in Maine state waters and is managed by the state through gear and seasonal restrictions and rotational closures. The federal component of the fishery is managed through daily catch limits and gear restrictions.

Featured News

A whole shucked scallop is held in a person's hands.
Feature Story

NOAA Fisheries Science Helps Maine’s Pioneering Sea Scallop Farmers

New England/Mid-Atlantic
Northeast Fisheries Science Center fish and wild caught seafood stakeholders and industry partners graphic
Feature Story

Seriously Useful Seafood Tips: Fish and Other Wild-Caught Seafood

New England/Mid-Atlantic
A skate viewed from the top with boxes drawn around it by an annotator
Feature Story

Computers Now “See” Animals on the Ocean Bottom

New England/Mid-Atlantic
lobster-bins.jpg
Feature Story

American Lobster, Sea Scallop Habitat Could Shift Off the Northeast

New England/Mid-Atlantic
View More News

Recreational Fishing Regulations

There is no recreational fishing allowed in the Atlantic sea scallop fishery.

Atlantic sea scallops may only be harvested from federal waters by vessels issued a federal scallop permit.

  • There is no charter/party component to the scallop fishery in federal waters.
  • Atlantic sea scallops may not be harvested from federal waters by recreational anglers.

More Information

  • Greater Atlantic Recreational Fishing

Commercial Fishing Regulations

Fishing Year 2020 Scallop Fishery Allocations

Overfishing Limit

56,186 mt (123,868,900 lb)

Acceptable Biological Catch/ACL (discards removed)

45,414 mt (100,120,700 lb)

Incidental Catch

23 mt (50,706 lb)

Northern Gulf of Maine Overall TAC

93 mt   (205,000 lb)

Northern Gulf of Maine Limited Access TAC

158.8 mt   (350,000 lb)

Northern Gulf of Maine LAGC TAC

93.6 mt  (206,282 lb)

Research Set-Aside (RSA)

567 mt (1,250,000 lb)

Observer Set-Aside

454 mt (1,000,899 lb)

ACL for fishery

44,370 mt (97,819,110 lb)

Limited Access ACL

41,930 mt (92,468,490 lb)

LAGC Total ACL

2,440 mt (5,379,279 lb)

LAGC IFQ ACL (5% of ACL)

2,219 mt (4,892,058 lb)

Limited Access with LAGC IFQ ACL (0.5% of ACL)

222 mt   (489,426 lb)

Limited Access ACT

37,819 mt (83,376,620 lb)

APL

22,370 mt (49,317,410 lb)

Limited Access Projected Landings (94.5% of APL)

21,140 mt (46,605,720 lb)

Total IFQ Annual Allocation (5.5% of APL)

1,230 mt (2,711,686 lb)

LAGC IFQ Annual Allocation (5% of APL)

1,119 mt (2,466,973 lb)

Limited Access with LAGC IFQ Annual Allocation (0.5% of APL)

112 mt   (246,918 lb)

 

Quotas

Quotas for Atlantic sea scallop fishery change every year or every two years. If specifications are not in place at the start of a fishing year, default specifications will go into place.

 

Size Requirements

Minimum Shell Height   

The minimum shell height for in-shell scallops that may be landed or possessed at or after landing is 3.5 inches (8.9 cm). Shell height is a straight line measurement from the hinge to the part of the shell that is farthest away from the hinge.

Maximum Shell Height 

There is no maximum scallop size.

 

Possession and Trip Limits   

Scallop possession limits vary by permit, area, and year. 

To see the Limited Access scallop vessel allocations for the 2020 fishing year, read the March 30, 2020 bulletin.

To see the Limited Access General Category scallop vessel allocations for 2019 fishing year, read the March 30, 2020 bulletin. Download the spreadsheet of 2020 LAGC allocations.

 

One-for-One Access Area Allocation Exchanges

Vessels may exchange unharvested scallop pounds allocated into one access area for another vessel's unharvested scallop pounds allocated into another access area. These exchanges may only be made for the amount of the current trip possession limit (full-time: 18,000-lb and part-time: 17,000 lb).

In addition, these exchanges may be made only between vessels with the same permit category: A full-time vessel may not exchange allocations with a part-time vessel, and vice versa.

 

Atlantic Sea Scallop Individual Fishing Quota Cost Recovery Program

  • 2016 Annual Report (June 2017)

 

Other Species Regulations

Northeast Multispecies

Possession Limits for LAGC Vessels   

LAGC vessels are prohibited from landing Northeast  multispecies, unless they are on a declared Northeast multispecies trip (i.e., they cannot be on a declared IFQ trip and retain Northeast multispecies).

Possession Limits for LA Vessels 

Unless otherwise prohibited, limited access scallop vessels also issued a valid Northeast multispecies permit, that have declared into a trip and fishing within the Sea Scallop Access Areas may possess and land, per trip, up to a maximum of 1,000 lb of all New England multispecies combined. 

Additional restrictions for Atlantic cod, haddock, and yellowtail flounder are listed below:

  • Atlantic cod: Vessels may possess up to 100 lb (45.4 kg) of Atlantic cod per trip, provided such fish is intended for personal use only and cannot be not sold, traded, or bartered

  • Haddock: Vessels may possess and land haddock up to the overall possession limit of all Northeast multispecies combined, except that vessels are prohibited from possessing or landing haddock from January 1 through June 30

  • Yellowtail Flounder: Vessels are prohibited from possessing yellowtail flounder

Scallop DAS Trips

Unless otherwise prohibited, limited access scallop vessels also issued a valid Northeast multispecies permit, that have declared into the scallop DAS program may possess and land, per trip:

  • Northeast Multispecies: A maximum of 300 lb of all Northeast multispecies combined

  • Yellowtail Flounder: Vessels are prohibited from possessing yellowtail flounder

Monkfish

Monkfish Incidental Trip Limits for Limited Access Vessels

For LA vessels while on a Scallop DAS or in the Sea Scallop Access Area Program have the following limits:

Areas: NFMA & SFMA

Gear: All Gear

Landing Limit (tail weight per DAS): 300 lb (873 lb whole weight)

Monkfish Incidental Trip Limits for LAGC Vessels

Scallop Dredge Exemption Areas: 50 lb (tail weight) per trip

West of 72’30’’ (i.e., in the Mid-Atlantic exemption area): LAGC vessels may use trawls or dredges, and the monkfish possession limit depends on gear size.

When using mesh size equal to or larger than 5.5” diamond/6” square in body, extensions, and codend – 5% of the total weight of fish on board, up to 450 lb trip

When using mesh size smaller than 5.5” diamond/6” square in body, extensions, and codend – 50 lb per day, up to 150 lb per trip

Maximum Fish Size: None

 

Reporting A Commercial Catch

Reporting Requirements

Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) Requirements

All vessels issued a federal scallop permit are required to have an active VMS unit and must use their VMS unit to declare all vessel activity including fishing trips and transiting. 

Observer Requirements

  • Limited Access (LA) Vessels: Call for both Open Area and Access Area trips. 72 hours notice before the intended sail date is required and notice should be no more than 10 days prior to sail date.

  • LA General Category Vessels: Call for both Open Area and Access Area trips. Notify weekly by Thursday if you expect to make any trips from Sunday through Saturday of the following week.

Review the Industry-Funded Scallop Observer Program Call-In Guide.

Catch Reporting and Vessel Trip Reports

Vessel Trip Reports

A vessel trip report (VTR) must be received by NOAA Fisheries or postmarked within 15 days after the end of the reporting month. For vessels that also hold a Northeast multispecies permit, VTRs must be submitted weekly by Tuesday of the week after the fishing trip ends. 

Copies of VTRs must be retained on board the vessel for one year after the date of the last entry on the log and otherwise retained for three years after the date of the last entry on the log. 

If no fishing activity took place during a reporting period (week or month), then a VTR must be submitted stating that no fishing trips were taken. 

Read the VTR Instructions. 

VMS Catch Reports

Scallop vessels may be required to submit two catch reports through VMS. Read the instructions for completing VMS forms. 

Scallop Catch Report

The first form is required by all LA and LAGC vessels that are fishing for, possessing, or retaining scallops, and not also fishing under a Northeast multispecies DAS or sector allocation. The form, often referred to as the scallop catch report, is used to monitor scallop and yellowtail flounder catch on scallop trips.

These reports must be submitted in 24-hour intervals for each day of fishing that begins at 0000 hours and ends at 2400 hours. The reports must be submitted before 9 a.m. each day for the previous day’s catch. The reports include:

  • Fishing Vessel Trip Report logbook page number;

  • Total pounds of scallop meats kept;

  • Total pounds of all other fish kept.

The Scallop Pre-Landing Notification Form

The second report you may need to submit is the Scallop Pre-Landing Notification Form, which is required under the following four circumstances:

  • When on a declared limited access trip;

  • When on a declared limited access general category (LAGC) trip; or

  • When a vessel with an LAGC or Northern Gulf of Maine scallop permit is on a declared trip outside the scallop fishery when scallops are kept.

(This includes limited access vessels that are also issued IFQ or NGOM permits when landing scallops and not on a declared scallop day-at-sea or on an access area trip allocated through their full-time, part-time, or occasional permits.)

The pre-landing notification form must be submitted at least 6 hours before landing scallops, and before crossing the VMS demarcation line. If your scallop harvesting ends less than 6 hours before landing, then the report is to be sent immediately upon leaving the fishing grounds.

This form serves two important purposes: (1) To support timely monitoring and attribution of scallop landings to vessel permits; and (2) to notify NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement of where vessel operators plan to land scallops.

Please contact the Northeast VMS Team with questions.

 

Commercial Gear Information

Dredge Gear Requirements

Maximum Dredge Width

Limited Access vessels (excluding vessels in the Small Dredge Program) may not use a dredge(s) with a combined dredge width of more than 31 ft. Limited Access vessels enrolled in the Small Dredge Program may only fish with one dredge, and the dredge width may not exceed 10.5 ft.

LAGC vessels may fish with a maximum combined dredge width of 10.5 ft, measured at the widest point in the bail of the dredge.  The only exception is for LAGC vessels fishing in the Mid-Atlantic Exemption Area, where vessels may use dredge gear with a combined dredge width of no more than 31 ft.

Minimum Mesh Size

The mesh size of any material on the top of any scallop dredge (twine top) may not be smaller than 10-inch square or diamond mesh.

Minimum Ring Size

The ring size in any scallop dredge possessed or used by scallop vessels may not be smaller than 4 inches.

Link Restrictions 

No more than double links between rings may be used in or on all parts of the dredge bag, except the dredge bottom. No more than triple linking shall be used in or on the dredge bottom portion and the diamonds.

Damaged links that are connected to only one ring, i.e., “hangers,” are allowed if they occur between two links that both couple the same two rings. Dredge rings may not be attached via links to more than four adjacent rings. Thus, dredge rings must be rigged in a configuration such that, when a series of adjacent rings are held horizontally, the neighboring rings form a pattern of horizontal rows and vertical columns.

Gear Restrictions and Obstructions   

No material, device, or link configuration may be used if it results in obstructing the release of scallops that would have passed through a legal sized and configured net and dredge.  No chafing gear or cookies may be used on the top of the dredge.

All limited access and LAGC IFQ vessels that are fishing for scallops must have no more than seven rows in the apron between the twine top and the clubstick, year-round and in all areas. This is intended to further reduce flatfish bycatch.

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Scallop Dredge Gear Stowage Requirements

Scallop vessels may transit closed areas and access areas (excluding Closed Area II unless there is a compelling safety reason to do so) on either a scallop access area or open area trip, provided gear is properly stowed.

Seasonal Turtle Chain Mat and Turtle Deflector Dredge (TDD) Requirements

Effective Date, Season, and Area Required:

  • Between May 1 and November 30

  • Scallop vessels fishing west of 71° W. longitude must use both TDDs and Turtle chain mats during the entire TDD and chain mat season

Chain Mat Description

The mat must cover the entire opening of the dredge bag. The vertical and horizontal chains must be hung to cover the opening of the dredge bag such that the vertical chains extend from the back of the cutting bar to the sweep. The horizontal chains must intersect the vertical chains such that the length of each side of the openings formed by the intersecting chains is less than or equal to 14 inches with the exception of the side of any individual opening created by the sweep. The sweep is defined as a chain extending, usually in an arc, from one end of the dredge frame to the other which the ring bag including the diamonds, is attached. The sweep forms the edge of the opening of the dredge bag.

Vessels That Must Use the TDD

All scallop vessels fishing in the TDD area during the TDD season described above with the exception of Limited Access General Category (LAGC) vessels that use a dredge less than 10’ 6” in width.  Specific examples are listed below.

Requirements of the TDD Design

(1) The cutting bar must be located in front of the depressor plate.

(2) The acute angle between the plane of the bale and the strut must be less than or equal to 45 degrees.

(3) All bale bars must be removed, except the outer bale (single or double) bars and the center support beam, leaving an otherwise unobstructed space between the cutting bar and forward bale wheels, if present. The center support beam must be less than 6” wide. For the purpose of flaring and safe handling of the dredge, a minor appendage, not to exceed 12” in length, may be attached to each of the outer bale bar (“flaring bar”). If the flaring bar is attached in a u-shape, none of the three sides of the flaring bar can exceed 12 inches in length. The appendage should at no point be closer than 12” to the cutting bar so that it does not interfere with the space created by the “bump out”.

(4) Struts must be spaced no more than 12” apart from each other, along the entire length of the frame.

(5) For all dredges with widths of 10’ 6” or greater, the TDD must include a straight extension ("bump out") connecting the outer bale bars to the dredge frame. This "bump out" must exceed 12” in length, as measured along the inside of the bale bar from the front of the cutting bar to the first bend in the bale bar. 

Trawl Gear Requirements

Authorized Scallop Trawl Vessels

Limited Access vessels permitted to use trawl gear (Categories 7, 8, and 9) to harvest scallops must comply with the maximum sweep, minimum mesh, and gear obstruction requirements of the Northeast Multispecies regulations. Trawl gear is not allowed in the northern scallop access areas (Closed Area I, Closed Area II, and Nantucket Lightship).

Limited Access General Category scallop vessels fishing west of 72°30’ W. longitude in the Mid-Atlantic Exemption Area, may fish for scallops with trawl gear provided they comply with all applicable trawl gear restrictions, which depend on the species retained, including scallops.

Maximum Sweep

The trawl sweep of nets shall not exceed 144 ft, as measured by the total length of the footrope that is directly attached to the webbing, unless the net is properly stowed and not available for immediate use.

Minimum Mesh Size  

The mesh size for any scallop trawl net in all areas shall not be smaller than 5.5 inches. However, if a vessel possesses other species, other mesh size restrictions may apply.

Scallop Trawl Gear Stowage

Scallop vessels may transit closed areas and access areas (excluding Closed Area II and Elephant Trunk Closed Area, unless there is a compelling safety reason to do so) on either a scallop access area or open area trip, provided gear is properly stowed.

 

 

More Information

  • Atlantic Sea Scallop Permits
  • Quota Monitoring
  • Accountability Measures
  • Recent Notices and Rules
  • Recent Permit Holder Bulletins
  • Scallop Management Areas
  • Fishing Industry Home Page

Subsistence Fishing Regulations

Management Areas

Scallop_Wall_Map_Color_2020615.jpg

 

 

Fishing Year 2020 Rotational Area Coordinates

Access Areas for Fishing Year 2020

Closed Area I Access Area

Point

N latitude

W longitude

CAIA1

41°30′

68°30′

CAIA2

40°58′

68°30′

CAIA3

40°54.95′

68°53.37′

CAIA4

41°04′

69°01′

CAIA5

41°30′

69°23′

CAIA1

41°30′

68°30′

 

Mid-Atlantic Access Area

Point

N latitude

W longitude

MAA1

39°30′

73°10′

MAA2

39°30′

72°30′

MAA3

38°30′

73°30'

MAA4

38°10′

73°30'

MAA5

38°10′

74°20′

MAA6

38°50′

74°20′

MAA7

38°50′

73°42′

MAA1

39°30′

73°10′

 

Nantucket Lightship-North Access Area

Point

N latitude

W longitude

NLSN1

40°50′

69°30′

NLSN2

40°50′

69°00′

NLSN3

40°28′

69°00′

NLSN4

40°28′

69°30′

NLSN1

40°50′

69°30′

 

Nantucket Lightship-South-Deep Access Area

Point

N latitude

W longitude

NLSSD1

40°22′

69°30′

NLSSD2

40°15′

69°30′

NLSSD3

40°15′

69°00′

NLSSD4

40°28′

69°00′

NLSSD5

40°28′

69°17′

NLSSD1

40°22′

69°30′

 

Closed Area II Access Area

Point

N latitude

W longitude

Note

CAIIA1

41°30′

67°20′

 

CAIIA2

41°11′

67°20′

 

CAIIA3

41°11′

66°41′

 

CAIIA4

41°00′

66°41′

 

CAIIA5

41°00′

(1)

(2)

CAIIA6

41°30′

(3)

(2)

CAIIA1

41°30′

67°20′

 

1 The intersection of 41°00′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°00′ N. lat. and 66°09.33′ W. long.

2 From Point CAIIA5 connected to Point CAIIA6 along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary.

3 The intersection of 41°30′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°30′ N. lat., 66°34.73′ W. long.

Closed Areas for Fishing Year 2020

Closed Area II-Southwest and Extension Closed Area

Point

N latitude

W longitude

Note

CAIISWE1

41°11′

67°20′

 

CAIISWE2

41°11′

66°41′

 

CAIISWE3

41°0′

66°41′

 

CAIISWE4

41°0′

(1)

(2)

CAIISWE5

40°40′

(3)

(2)

CAIISWE6

40°40′

67°20′

 

CAIISWE1

41°11′

67°20′

 

1 The intersection of 41°0′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°0′ N. lat. and 66°09.33′ W. long.

2 From Point CAIISWE 4 connected to Point CAIISWE5 along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary.

3 The intersection of 40°40′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 40°40′ N. lat. and 65°52.61′ W. long.

Nantucket Lightship-Triangle Closed Area

Point

N latitude

W longitude

NLST1

40°28′

69°30′

NLST2

40°28′

69°17′

NLST3

40°22′

69°30′

NLST1

40°28′

69°30′

 

Stellwagen Bank Closed Area

Point

N latitude

W longitude

SB1

42°26′

70°27′

SB2

42°26′

70°15′

SB3

42°20′

70°15′

SB4

42°20′

70°27′

SB1

42°26′

70°27′

 

Other Atlantic Sea Scallop Management Area Coordinates

NGOM Scallop Management Area

Point

N. Latitude

W. Longitude

NGOM1

42°20'

Massachusetts Shoreline

NGOM2

42°20'

69°40'

NGOM3

42°49.5'

69°40'

NGOM4

43°12'

69°00'

NGOM5

43°41'

68°00'

G2

43°58'

67°22'

G1

Northward along the irregular U.S.-Canada maritime boundary to the shoreline

Northward along the irregular U.S.-Canada maritime boundary to the shoreline

 

 GOM Scallop Dredge Exemption Area

Point

N. Latitude

W. Longitude

SM1

41°35′

70°00′

SM2

41°35′

69°40′

SM3

42°49.5′

69°40′

SM4

43°12′

69°00′

SM5

43°41′

68°00′

SM6

43°58′

67°22′

SM7

Northward along the irregular U.S.-Canada maritime boundary to the shoreline 

Northward along the irregular U.S.-Canada maritime boundary to the shoreline 

 

 Great South Channel Scallop Dredge Exemption Area

Point

N. Latitude

W. Longitude

GSC 1

42°06′

69°40′

GSC 2

41°30′

69°10′

GSC 3

41°30′

69°23′

GSC 4

40°50′

68°49.2′

GSC 5

40°50′

69°29.46′

GSC 6

41°10′

69°50′

GSC 7

41°10′

70°00′

GSC 8

41°35′

70°00′

GSC 9

41°35′

69°40′

 

Southern New England Scallop Dredge Exemption Area 

Bounded on the west, south and east by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated:

Point

N. Latitude

W. Longitude

Sc1

South facing shoreline of Long Island, NY

72°30′

Sc2

40°00′

72°30′

Sc3

40°00′

71°40′

Sc4

39°50′

71°40′

Sc5

39°50′

70°00′

Sc6

South facing shoreline of Nantucket, MA

70°00′

Sc7

North facing shoreline of Nantucket, MA

70°00′

Sc8

South facing shoreline of Cape Cod, MA 

70°00′

 

Bounded on the northwest by straight lines connecting the following points in the order stated:

Point

N. Latitude

W. Longitude

Sc9

41°00′

East facing shoreline of the south fork of Long Island, NY

Sc10

41°00′

71°40′

Sc11

South facing shoreline of RI 

71°40′

 

The Mid-Atlantic Exemption Area

This area is bounded on the east by the western boundary of the Southern New England Dredge Exemption area, as described above.

 

Accountability Measure Areas

Georges Bank Accountability Measure Area

Point

Latitude

Longitude

Note

GBAM1

41°30’ N

67°20’ W

 

GBAM2

41°30’ N

The intersection of 41°30′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately 41°30′ N. lat., 66°34.73′ W. long.

From Point GBAM2 connected to Point GBAM3 along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary.

GBAM3

40°30’ N

The intersection of 40°30′ N. lat. and the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary, approximately, 65°44.34′ W. long.

From Point GBAM2 connected to Point GBAM3 along the U.S.-Canada Maritime Boundary.

GBAM4

40°30’ N

67°20’ W

 

GBAM1

41°30’ N

67°20’ W

 

 

Mid-Atlantic Accountability Measure Area

All waters west of 71° W. Long.

More Information

  • Atlantic Sea Scallop Charts

Observer Program

Under the industry-funded observer program, if a vessel is selected to carry an observer, the vessel is responsible to pay for that observer on that trip. In order to help defray the cost to vessel owners for this observer coverage, one percent of the ABC/ACL is set aside as the Observer Set-Aside. This set-aside is then distributed to vessels that carry observers. 

LA vessels either receive additional pounds in access areas or DAS in open areas, and LAGC IFQ vessels receive additional pounds attributed to their IFQ allocations.

History

The industry-funded observer program was first used when scallop vessels gained access into portions of groundfish closed areas under Joint Framework Adjustments 11 and 39 to the Scallop and Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plans (FMPs), respectively. The set-aside program was expanded in Amendment 10 to the Scallop FMP to include other access areas and open areas. Since its beginning, the industry-funded observer program has applied to LA vessels, and more recently LAGC IFQ vessels were incorporated into the program.  The industry-funded observer program has enabled higher observer rates in the scallop fishery compared to other fisheries in the region.

Observer Set-Aside Compensation Rate

The observer compensation rates refer to the amount of additional pounds of scallops, or scallop DAS for LA vessels on open area trips, that will be allotted to vessels that are selected to carry observers. 

Using the one-percent observer set-aside described above, as well as information on expected trip lengths, trip costs, landings-per-unit effort, and expected scallop prices, NOAA Fisheries selects compensation rates that are expected to provide sufficient compensation for the observer fee, while also providing sufficient observer coverage based on anticipated coverage levels needed for a given fishing year.

NOAA Fisheries monitors the compensation rates and the observer set-aside use in each area very closely throughout the year. If information suggests that a different rate is necessary to account for unexpected fishery conditions, we will change the compensation rate as appropriate and necessary.  

More Information

  • Northeast Scallop Industry-Funded Observer Program
  • 2020 Observer Compensation Rate Calculation Summary
  • 2020 Industry Funded Observer Program Call-In Guide

Management Overview

The Atlantic sea scallop fishery consists of two primary fleets, the Limited Access (LA) fleet, and the Limited Access General Category (LAGC) fleet, which are managed differently.

Limited Access Fleet

The LA fleet is managed with days-at-sea (DAS) – a number of days that can be fished per year –and an access area rotation program.

The New England Fishery Management Council established the access area rotational program to promote optimal yield in the fishery. Under the rotation program, the Council closes areas with large concentrations of fast-growing, small scallops before the scallops are exposed to fishing. Scallops grow fastest when they are very small and protection of these small scallops through area closures is critical in the rotational management of the scallop resource. 

After a period of closure, and after evaluation according to the criteria and procedures established in the Fishery Management Plan, the areas will re-open for scallop fishing, when the scallops are larger and more suitable for harvest. This process boosts scallop meat yield and yield per recruit. When the areas are open for access (i.e., “access areas”), vessels are allocated a number of trips with corresponding trip limits that they may use in those dedicated access areas. Once the high concentrations of scallops in an access area have been fished down, the Council may decide to close the area again if it appears that the resource will rebound in a few years after protecting any small scallops that may be there, or the Council could convert the area back to an “open area”.Open areas are where LA vessels fish for scallops under DAS allocations.

Limited Access General Category Fleet

The primary component of the LAGC fleet is vessels with Individual Fishing Quotas. These vessels are allocated a yearly quota that may be leased or permanently transferred among the LACG fleet and may be fished throughout the fishing year. Although vessels are allocated a number of fleet-wide trips into the scallop access areas (landings from these trips are still applied against their quotas), most of the scallop fishing by LAGC vessels occurs in open areas. 

LAGC vessels are required to fish in specific areas within the open areas. These areas are the Gulf of Maine, Southern New England, and Great South Channel Scallop Dredge Exemption Areas, and the Mid-Atlantic Exemption Area. 

Market Information

Sea scallops are primarily landed as shucked meats which are graded by the number of meats per pound. Example: 20-30, 10-20, or U10 (less than 10 meats per pound). There is also a limited market for live, unshucked scallops.

The Atlantic sea scallop fishery is the largest and most valuable wild scallop fishery in the world. For the latest information on landings, please check our Fisheries Economics of the U.S. reports.

Massachusetts and New Jersey are responsible for the majority of the U.S. harvest. The three primary ports are New Bedford, Massachusetts, Cape May, New Jersey, and Norfolk, Virginia.


The New England Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries manage the scallop fishery in federal waters under the Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan.

The scallop fishery operates year-round.

The fishing year for management measures is April 1 to March 30.

The LA fishery is managed by open access areas and days-at-sea, while the LACG fishery operates under a quota system. 

Note: The Northern Gulf of Maine management area is managed separately from the rest of the Atlantic sea scallop stock. 


Regulatory History

1982 – Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan implemented, requiring that harvestable scallops meet a minimum weight requirement

1994 – NOAA Fisheries closes areas on Georges Bank and Nantucket shoals to groundfish and scallop fishing

1994 – Moratorium on scallop permits implemented; limits on "days-at-sea" to reduce fishing effort and a limit on crew size are initiated; protocol for collecting commercial fishing data for Northeast U.S. fisheries is changed; increase in dredge ring size from 3.0 to 3.5 inches is required by 1996; open access "general category" scallop permits created to allow small-scale scalloping and incidental catch of scallops in other fisheries

1997 – Scallops are declared overfished

1998 – More stringent "days-at-sea" limitation and a plan to rebuild stocks within 10 years are established; maximum crew size capped at seven; vessel monitoring systems are required on limited access scallop vessels

1998-2001 – Managers close extensive areas in Mid-Atlantic Bight region to scallop fishing

1999-2001 – First limited re-openings of closed area on Georges Bank

2001 – Mid-Atlantic biomass continues to increase as a result of above-average recruitment coupled with better size selection by the fishery and gear; Mid-Atlantic areas closed since 1998 reopen to controlled fishing

2004 – Area rotation management program implemented (rotating open and closed areas to maximize scallop yield); a new rotational area (the "Elephant Trunk" area) is closed to fishing for 3 years; dredge ring size is further increased to 4 inches; minimum mesh size for mesh on top of the dredge gear set at 10 inches to reduce flounder bycatch

2004 – Biomass peaks

2004-2006 – Limited portions of Georges Bank closed areas reopen to controlled fishing

2005 – Vessel monitoring systems required on open access general category vessels

2006 – Chain mats required in sea scallop dredges used in the Mid-Atlantic, May through November, to prevent sea turtles from entering gear

2007 – Industry-funded observer program continued through a total allowable catch and days-at-sea set-aside program to help vessel owners defray the cost of carrying observers (program is necessary to monitor bycatch of finfish and interactions with threatened and endangered species)

2007 – Elephant Trunk area reopens to fishing; a new rotational closure (Delmarva) is implemented

2008 – Limited access and individual quotas established for the general category fleet of scallop vessels; other important measures established to control fishing mortality and capacity in the general category scallop fishery

2008 – Researchers find high number of small seed scallops, or recruits, in the Great South Channel of Georges Bank and in other survey areas; numbers are the highest seen on Georges Bank since 2000 and the second highest in the Mid-Atlantic Bight since 1979, documenting the effectiveness of management rotating commercial fishery access to highly productive sea scallop areas while closing other areas to allow sea scallops to grow; very encouraging news for both the resource and the fishery during the next few years

2008 – The limited access general category (LAGC) scallop fishery is created and there is no longer an open access scallop permit.  There are three categories of LAGC permits: Individual fishing quota (IFQ) permits, Northern Gulf of Maine (NGOM) permits, and incidental permits.

2010 – All IFQ permit appeals are completed; the IFQ program begins

2011 –Annual catch limit and accountability measure (AM) requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act are implemented, including a sub-ACL and AM for yellowtail flounder caught in the scallop fishery; scallop EFH closed areas are modified to be consistent with areas closed for EFH in the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan.

2012 – The Turtle Deflector Dredge (TDD) is approved (implemented in May 2013) and modifications to the yellowtail flounder AMs were implemented

More Information

  • e-CFR for Atlantic Sea Scallop Fishery Regulations
  • New England Fishery Management Council Sea Scallop Page
  • Sea Scallop Fishery Management Plan
  • Sea Scallops Permits Page
  • Scallop Management Areas
  • Fishing Industry Home Page

Science Overview

Status

This stock is not overfished, nor is overfishing occurring.

Find out more about landings, distribution, and assessments.

 

Research & Data

Storymap: Scallop Map 2018

Take a tour of each section of the scallop regulations in 2018 in this…
May 20, 2020 - Map ,
New England/Mid-Atlantic
ScallopStorymap1.PNG

Georges Bank/Southern New England Scallop Dredge Exemption Area

This dataset depicts the boundaries of the Georges Bank/Southern New…
PDF Metadata Shapefile
May 13, 2020 - Map ,
New England/Mid-Atlantic
GOM_and SG_SNE_Dredge_Exemption_Areas_202058.jpg

Gulf of Maine Scallop Dredge Exemption Area

This dataset depicts the boundaries of the Gulf of Maine (GOM) Scallop…
PDF Metadata Shapefile
May 13, 2020 - Map ,
New England/Mid-Atlantic

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Shipwreck Sites

This dataset depicts the location of known shipwrecks on Stellwagen Bank.
Metadata PDF Shapefile
April 15, 2020 - Map ,
New England/Mid-Atlantic
StellwagonBankShipwreckSites_2020416.jpg
View More

More Information

  • 2018 Sea Scallop Benchmark Stock Assessment (65th SAW)

Data & Maps

Data

Industry Funded Scallop Reports for the Northeast

The reports track observer coverage assignment, achieved coverage, and the desired target coverages…

New England/Mid-Atlantic
Map

Storymap: Scallop Map 2018

New England/Mid-Atlantic
Map

Georges Bank/Southern New England Scallop Dredge Exemption Area

New England/Mid-Atlantic
Map

Gulf of Maine Scallop Dredge Exemption Area

New England/Mid-Atlantic
More Data and Maps
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