At MdM we carry dry u-10 sea scallops and Nantucket Bay scallops when they’re in season.  Below are some interesting facts about scallops.
Bay Scallop or Sea Scallop?

In the market, bay scallops are smaller scallops and sea scallops are large scallops. According to
FDA, there are 29 scallop species; one sea scallop, one bay scallop, and the rest are scallops.

Bay Scallops

The true bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) is a very sweet small size scallop that gets as large as
60-80ct in size (60-80 per lb). Wild bay scallops are found from Maine to Texas, generally in
shallow salt water grassy areas. Commercial harvest seasons are very short, in limited areas. The
season lasts a month or two during the winter and the sweet delicacy sells for $20.00lb or more.
What is sold in most retailers and restaurants as bay scallops is the same bay scallop specie. It is
farmed raised in China or Japan. The farmed scallops do not taste the same, but some are very tasty,
especially the dry, no water added bay scallops from Japan. Other species of small scallops may be
sold as “bay scallops”, though technically they are scallops.

Sea Scallops

Sea Scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) are caught off the North Atlantic coast from Atlantic
Canada to North Carolina. The North Atlantic sea scallop is harvested in medium to deep waters on
the continental shelf from 20 to 300 ft deep. The large sea scallop meats average 20-30ct per lb,
with some sea scallops as large as 8-10ct per lb.

Harvest Method

Sea scallops are harvested by boats with scallop dredges. The boats are usually 40ft to 70ft long or
more. The boats drag a heavy metal ring mesh net behind the boat and across the ocean bottom.
The metal rings that make up the mesh are a 3.5 inches or larger to allow juvenile scallops to pass
through and only catch the adult full size scallops. Some scallops are hand caught by scuba divers.

In the US fleet, the scallops are shucked on board the boat. The shell and the entrails are discarded
and become food for other ocean species. Only the adductor muscle is kept. The adductor muscle is
what the mollusk uses to open and close its shell. That is the pearly white meat we know as a
scallop.
What is a scallop?

Scallops are unique and different than other mollusks (clams, oysters, mussels) and fish. The
adductor mussel in a scallop is very large. This is because the scallop is a free swimmer. The
adductor mussel quickly opens and closes the shell, expelling water, allowing the scallop to “swim”.
Clams generally bury in the mud or sand, oysters will attach to rocks, other oysters or any hard
surface. Mussels develop “beards” and attach to hard surfaces or each other. Scallops are filter
feeders like other mollusks. They eat plankton, algae, and other fine marine life.

Scallop or Shark Meat?

An old wives tale is that some scallops in the marketplace are really meat from a shark or skate that
has been punched out by some type of cutting machine. This is not true. The color and texture of
the meat from a shark or skate is much different than the scallop meat. The scallop adductor muscle
has a unique structure and texture. The muscle fibers are long, layered and flow in one direction.
The rumor may have come from looking at calico scallop meats that can grow and be harvested in
very uniform sizes.

Water Added Scallops

Another difference between fish tissue and the scallop muscle is the scallop’s ability to naturally
absorb water. A scallop meat that is soaked in water for a period of time will absorb some of that
water. Soaked long enough, the scallop can absorb 10% of its weight in water or more.

When a scallop is soaked for a period of time in a solution of water and Sodium Tripoly Phosphate
(STP) and water, scallops can absorb 25% of their weight in water or more. Industry terms for such
scallops are “soaked”, “wet” or “processed” scallops. For labeling purposes, FDA requires the term
water added scallops. STP is an FDA approved Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) food additive.
It is primarily used to retain natural moisture in frozen scallops.

Sea Scallops are a Sustainable Fishery

The U.S. / Canadian Sea Scallop fishery is considered a fisheries management success story. The
biomass and landings of sea scallops has increased dramatically in the last 15 years. Significant
study and work took place in the late 20th century to understand sea scallop life cycle, habitat, and
the fishery. Some of the fisheries management measures include:

. Larger ring sizes on the scallop dredge nets to allow juvenile scallops to pass through.
. Set # of days set days at sea for scallop boats.
. Limit crew sizes to 7 or less on scallop fishing vessels.
. Closing areas of the ocean to scallop fishing, then allowing managed openings in these areas.

Closed area management has been very effective. Not only has the plan helped the sea scallop
biomass to increase, it helps reduce environmental impact of scallop fishing and improves the
quality of the scallops. The boats spend less time fishing the bottom, and potentially upsetting
habitat. The boats catch more scallops with less “bottom time”, which uses less fuel. The scallops
caught are larger. A boat can complete a trip faster and get back to shore quicker with fresher
scallops. The boats’ crews make more money because the scallops are fresher, larger, and caught in
less time, using less fuel. This has helped keep sea scallop prices lower too. A real win, win, win
for fishermen, environment, and customer.