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Seafood Watch - Seafood Guide

Scallops, Bay

SEAFOOD	RATING	MARKET NAMES	WHERE CAUGHT	HOW CAUGHT
Bay Scallops		Bay Scallops	China, Japan	Farmed
Sea Scallops		Giant Scallop, Hotate	U.S. Atlantic	Wild-caught

Bay Scallops

The availability of farmed scallops is increasing along with demand. Farmed scallops are a "Best Choice" because they present few threats to the environment.

Consumer Note

Farmed scallops are available year-round. For food safety reasons, fresh scallops may be limited to certain seasons in specific regions. They’re cooked in or out of the shell and available fresh or frozen. Scallops are also available raw for sushi and are known as hotate.

Summary

Scallop farming is generally environmentally sound. Scallops feed by filtering particles out of seawater. This means that they actually help improve water quality where they live. Since they don’t rely on fishmeal or fish oil-based feeds, scallop farms have a low impact on marine resources. In addition, scallop farms rarely use fertilizers, antibiotics and other chemicals that could spread into surrounding waters and impact the local ecosystem.

Scallops can be raised in a variety of ways, the most common being "on-bottom" and "off-bottom." The off-bottom technique is preferred, because these scallops are harvested by hand. Dredging scallops from the seafloor (on-bottom) can harm the seabed as well as the habitats of marine life that live there.

Ninety-six percent of the scallops consumed in the U.S. are wild-caught in U.S. and Canadian fisheries. Of the four percent that are farmed, most are imported from China and Japan. While Japan has made key advances in scallop aquaculture

technology, there are concerns about cultured scallops raised in China.

Scientific Reports About Our Ratings

Dredging Fact Card
Farmed Scallops Seafood Watch Report

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