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Seafood Watch - Seafood Guide

Sea Scallops

© Scandinavian Fishing Yearbook / www.scandfish.com
SEAFOODRATINGMARKET NAMESWHERE CAUGHTHOW CAUGHT
Bay Scallops Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Catarina Scallop Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico Diver-caught
Pink Scallops Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Smooth Pink, Reddish Scallops, Swimming Scallops Canada Pacific Butterfly Trawl
Scallops Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Scallops Worldwide Farmed
Sea Scallops Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Giant Scallop, Hotate U.S. Atlantic Dredged
Sea Scallops Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Lion-Paw Scallop Laguna Ojo de Liebre and Guerrero Negro, Baja California Sur, Mexico Diver-caught
Sea Scallops Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Chilean Scallop, Fan Scallop, Peruvian Calico Scallop Sechura Bay, Peru Diver-caught
Sea Scallops Good Alternative: These are good alternatives to the best choices column. There are some concerns with how they are fished or farmed – or with the health of their habitats due to other human impacts. Giant Scallop, Digby Scallop, Hotate, Petoncles Canadian Atlantic Dredged
Spiny Scallops Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Pink, Pacific Pink, Swimming Scallops Canadian Pacific Butterfly Trawl
Weathervane Scallops Best Choice: These fish are abundant, well managed and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Alaska scallops Alaska Dredged


Sea Scallops, Peru

Diver-caught sea scallops are collected by hand, causing little bycatch or habitat damage. However, a lack of regulation and enforcement make Peruvian calico scallops a "Good Alternative."

Consumer Note

Two kinds of scallops are sold: the marshmallow-sized sea scallop (sometimes called giant scallop) and the much smaller bay scallop.

Scallops use a strong, circular muscle to clap their shells together, letting them "fly" through the water and out of harm's way. It's this circular (abductor) muscle that's prized as seafood.

Summary

Sea scallops grow quickly and mature at a young age, traits that make them resilient to fishing pressure.

Peruvian calico scallops are found along the coast of Peru and Chile. In Peru, divers collect scallops by hand, which results in little bycatch or seafloor habitat damage.

Scallop populations vary naturally with environmental conditions. There are few regulations in place to protect scallop stocks in Peru and a lack of enforcement of existing regulations. As a result, Peruvian diver-caught scallops are a "Good Alternative."

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