Sea Scallop Image-Based Research Fleet Projects

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Seasonal and spatial changes in sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) meat yield, quality, and reproductive status are well documented. By gaining a better understanding of scallop biology, more accurate estimates of yield from the fishery can be obtained. The fishery is managed using NOAA’s sea scallop survey and Observer Program data. However, the survey cruises only occur in the spring and summer months and don’t include sampling in the Northern Gulf of Maine. The Observer Program collects catch and effort data year-round but does not collect data on individual scallops and cannot focus on areas prioritized by stock assessment needs.

The CFRF has undertaken a suite of projects that use the Research Fleet approach to assess the ability of an image-based, fishery-dependent data collection method to fill gaps in the understanding of sea scallop biology. These include developing a cost-effective means of supplementing survey data, as well as gaining a better understanding of the timing of spawning cycles and the associated meat yield over a broad geographical area.

Short background of sea scallop management - LAGC vs LA - and how we took a step-wise approach to the image fleet, etc.

Learn More About our LAGC and LA Research Fleets:

Link to LAGC page

Link to LA page