Scallop Aquaculture in the Gulf of Maine : Challenges, Opportunities, and Lessons Learned

Global scallop production has rapidly transitioned from a wild-capture fishery to an aquaculture industry over the past several decades. However, aquaculture of the Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) in the Gulf of Maine has remained limited by the high labor burden and costs within the United States and Canada, particularly when using traditional lantern net culture. Although we have a robust wild fishery for sea scallops, we still import at least 50% of our scallops. To increase domestic production and secure seed supply in the future, our team has been focused on technology transfer from Asia and Europe as well as developing scallop hatchery protocols. Sea scallops aquaculture has increased 6-fold in the last three years. In this talk, Brady will discuss the development, challenges, and opportunities of this emerging aquaculture industry in Maine.