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North Pacific Fishery Management Council

Managing Fisheries off the Coast of Alaska

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Scallop Fishery

Weathervane scallops

The scallop fishery in Alaska is jointly managed by the State of Alaska and the federal government under the Alaska Scallop Fishery Management Plan (FMP). Most aspects of scallop fishery management are delegated to the state, while limited access and other federal requirements are under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

Although there are a number of scallop stocks off the coast of Alaska, including weathervane scallop (Patinopecten caurinus), reddish scallop (Chlamys rubida), spiny scallop (Chlamys hastata), and rock scallop (Crassadoma gigantea), the weathervane scallop is the only commercially targeted stock at this time. Commercial fishing for weathervane scallops occurs in the Gulf of Alaska, Bering Sea, and waters of the Aleutian Islands.

Management of the Alaska scallop fishery is achieved using “guideline harvest levels” (GHLs) which are established at the beginning of each fishing season. In addition to GHLs, most scallop fisheries have crab bycatch limits. Fisheries are closed when either GHLs or bycatch limits are met. Large areas of productive scallop habitat are also closed to scallop dredging.

To increase economic efficiency, permit holders created a scallop fishing cooperative in 2000. Some cooperative members opted to remove their boats from the fishery and arranged for their shares to be caught by other members of the cooperative, providing the remaining vessels with additional fishing opportunities. In recent seasons, only four vessels have participated in the fishery. This fleet of 70 to 120-ft vessels each has a crew of eight to twelve who shuck and freeze scallops on board the vessels. Most scallops produced in Alaska are marketed directly by the cooperative. Except in the Cook Inlet Area, all commercial scallop fishing vessels are required by ADF&G to carry trained observers.

Resources

NPFMC
Resources

Scallop FMP
Scallop SAFE
Scallop Harvest Timing

External Resources

NOAA: Scallop Fisheries Management in Alaska
ADF&G: Weathervane Scallops

Search our eAgenda

More NPFMC Documents
Scallop Background Documents

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CALENDAR

  • Ecosystem Committee Meeting
    Sep 28, 2023
    8:30 am - 4:30 pm    
  • Individual Fishing Quota Committee
    Sep 28, 2023
    8:30 am - 4:30 pm    
  • Enforcement Trawl Performance Workshop
    Oct 2, 2023
    1:00 pm - 5:00 pm    
  • Scientific & Statistical Committee Meeting
     Oct 2, 2023, 8:00 am — Oct 4, 2023, 5:00 pm    
  • Advisory Panel
     Oct 3, 2023, 8:00 am — Oct 7, 2023, 5:00 pm    
  • Council Meeting
     Oct 5, 2023, 8:00 am — Oct 10, 2023, 5:00 pm    
  • Social Science Planning Team (SSPT)
    Oct 18, 2023
    2:00 pm - 4:00 pm    
  • Charter Halibut Management Committee
    Oct 20, 2023
    12:30 pm - 4:30 pm    
  • BS FEP Climate Change Taskforce Meeting
    Nov 1, 2023
    1:00 pm - 5:00 pm    
  • BS FEP Climate Change Taskforce Meeting
    Nov 2, 2023
    9:00 am - 5:00 pm    
  • Social Science Planning Team (SSPT)
    Nov 3, 2023
    8:30 am - 4:30 pm    
  • Joint, BSAI, GOA Groundfish Plan Team Meetings
     Nov 13, 2023, 12:00 am — Nov 17, 2023, 11:59 pm    
  • IPHC Interim Meeting
     Nov 30, 2023, 12:00 am — Dec 1, 2023, 11:59 pm    
  • Council Meeting
     Dec 4, 2023, 12:00 am — Dec 12, 2023, 11:59 pm    
  • Scallop Plan Team
    Dec 14, 2023
    1:00 pm - 4:00 pm    
  • Crab Plan Team (T)
     Jan 8, 2024, 12:00 am — Jan 12, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • SSC Subgroup Research Priorities
    Jan 11, 2024
    11:30 am - 2:30 pm    
  • International Pacific Halibut Commission - Anchorage, AK
     Jan 22, 2024, 12:00 am — Jan 26, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • Alaska Marine Science Symposium
     Jan 29, 2024, 12:00 am — Feb 2, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • Council Meeting
     Feb 5, 2024, 12:00 am — Feb 12, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • Council Meeting
     Apr 1, 2024, 12:00 am — Apr 9, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • Crab Plan Team (T)
     May 13, 2024, 12:00 am — May 17, 2024, 11:59 pm    
  • Council Meeting
     Jun 3, 2024, 12:00 am — Jun 11, 2024, 11:59 pm    
 

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Spotlight

Arctic Wilderness

October 2023 Meeting – Anchorage

Request for Information: 2024 Research Priorities Triennial Review

We respectfully acknowledge that the Council regularly meets, and its staff office resides, in Anchorage on Dena’ina homelands. The Council wants to honor the Dena’ina, the Indigenous Peoples who have stewarded this land across generations and continue to do so. We are glad to be part of this community, and to honor the culture, resilience, and tradition of the Dena’ina people.

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