Current Technical Concerns with Sea Scallop Management

Fisheries management authorities in the northeastern United States have been seeking ways to effectively manage the commercial fishery for sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus). One of the approaches, controlling gear design, requires technical evaluation to determine its usefulness as a prospective management tool. Current studies underway include documenting seasonal and areal variations in meat weight-shell height relationships, solving the problem of measuring meat weights at sea, and field testing of commercial dredge configurations.