Say No

Commercial Scallop

Latin name: Pecten fumatus

Common names: Scallop, Southern Scallop, Scallops

Say No

Wild Caught

Region:
Commonwealth waters

Key Facts

Assessing the stock status of commercial scallops is complicated by significant annual natural variability in population numbers.
High numbers of scallops caught in the 2017 fishing season in the Commonwealth-managed fishery shows that recovery of the previously overfished stock has occurred, however it is not clear what impact the high catches of scallop will have on future scallop numbers.
Dredging for scallops is an inherently high-impact fishing method. Reports suggest that the nature of the trawled habitat in Commonwealth waters is low risk as it is predominantly soft sediments, but uncertainty over the habitat type of new areas being explored is of concern.

Note: Dive caught commercial scallops from Port Philip Bay in VIC and queen scallops SA would receive a green, ‘Better Choice’ rating. Scallops in both VIC and SA are collected by hand, a method of fishing that has no significant effect on other marine species or the habitat. There are minimal concerns over the health of scallop populations in these regions.

More information

Commonwealth Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery (2,697t in 2017)

The Commonwealth scallop fishery operates in Bass Strait, adjacent to scallop fisheries in VIC and TAS state waters.

It is fairly complex for fisheries scientists to assess the stock status of scallops, as their populations naturally fluctuate significantly from year to year, and are usually described as ‘boom and bust’. Stock status information comes from annual dredge surveys at the beginning of each fishing season, which is then used to set the quota for the permitted catch.

Commercial scallop stocks caught in the Commonwealth-managed fishery were previously defined as ‘overfished’ in fishery reports. Fishery managers initially closed extensive areas of fishing ground, and the whole fishery was closed between 2006-08 to allow for stock recovery. High numbers of scallops have been caught in recent fishing seasons, suggesting some recovery has taken place. It is not clear what impact the high catches of scallop will have on future scallop numbers.

Historically overfished areas of TAS state waters have also been permanently closed to scallop fishing. The fishery is currently managed on a rotational basis, with surveys identifying which areas have healthy enough stocks to support fishing activity. 2016 surveys only assessed two scallop beds on the east coast, with no understanding of scallop numbers in the rest of state waters. Neither of the two areas explored were considered to have high enough numbers of scallops to support fishing activity, suggesting fishing in 2015 had once again depleted the stock.

There is limited information on the nature of seabed historically and currently dredged in Tasmanian waters. There have been issues with poor quality scallops and low catch rates in some areas during the 2013 fishing season, although the reasons for this are not clear.

Scallops live on the seafloor, and are caught using dredges that scrape along the bottom. Scallop dredging is inherently a high impact fishing method. The extent of impact of scallop dredging on bottom-dwelling species depends on where the dredgers operate – they generally dredge over soft sediments in Commonwealth waters and the risk to other species is considered low. However, continued exploration for new scallop beds, lack of knowledge about the seabed habitats and potential impacts on associated species is a concern.