SCALLOPS 101

• A bi-valve (two shelled) filter-feeding mollusk that lives on the sandy gravel of the ocean floor
• The white adductor muscle that connects the two shells is commonly referred to as the scallop meat.
• The adductor muscle is what is consumed in the United States.
• Outside the US, both the adductor muscle and roe are consumed
• There are over 400 species worldwide 18 species are commercially harvested
• Scallopsareconsideredaveryhealthy. They are a good source of Protein, Magnesium, Potassium, B12 and are very low in saturated fat.

• Sea scallops grow rapidly during the first several years of life
• Sexually maturing at age 2
• Attain commercial size at about 3 – 5 years old
• It takes 3-5 years to grow to the size of a 30/40 scallop
• 4-6 years for a 20/30
• 5-7 years for a 10/20
• 10+ years to reach the all popular U/10 size

• Most common complaint from customers
• Occurs during the summer spawning season
• PredominatelyintheMid-AtlanticArea
• Scallops will purge a white milky liquid and become softer in texture

• Brown to Gray, small loosely bound adductor muscles (should be white and compact)
• Caused by apicomplexan parasite which causes muscle necrosis
• Same parasite found in Iceland, Queen and King scallops
• Associated with abnormally high rates of natural mortality and poor meat quality
• Found in George’s Bank, Gulf of Maine, and Alaska
• RSA grants have been awarded to further research
• Expected increase in gray scallops this season as previously closed areas are reopened

Sizes: 40/60, 60/80, 80/100, 120/150, 150/200, 200/300

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CHARACTERISTICS:

Farm raised scallops from China:
Consistent supply
Softer texture
Seed stock originated from Long Island, New York and Nantucket, Massachusetts

Peru
Darker in color, less sweet, firm texture 60/80 per Lb. and larger

• Japanese sea scallops are primarily farm raised in the Northern part of Hokkaido island, with small amounts harvested in South Hokkaido.
• Japanese scallop sizes range from U7s to 46/68. Main markets: domestic consumption, China, USA.
• Japanese scallops are raised using an advanced cage system that uses 4 types of cages based on water depth, current strength, and other factors.
• Chinese sea scallops are farm raised in Sea of Japan using Japanese Hokkaido scallop seed.
• Chinese sea scallops size is 10/20s to 30/40s.

• Individual Fishing Quotas (IFQ)
• Three types of permits
• 239 IFQ (600 lb. limit)
• 92 Northern Gulf of Maine (200 lb. limit) o 242 Incidental Catch (40 lb. limit)

• Fishing occurs year-round
• Vessels are 70 to 100 feet in length
• Open area trip are 12–14 days at sea, about 10 of which are spent harvesting
• Closed area trip are about 8 days at sea (limited to 18,000 lbs. per trip)
• Harvesting is done 24 hours per day on rotating twelve hour shifts
• Average catch amounts to 1,500- 2,500 lbs. per day
• By-Catch: Atlantic cod, haddock, yellowtail flounder, monkfish

• Scallops are dredged from the ocean floor
• Vessels make tows of about an hour
• Combined dredges not to exceed 31 feet
• Twine tops may not be smaller than 10 inches
• Rings may not be smaller than 4 inches
• Maximum of 7 rows of rings between twine top and clubsticks

Modified dredges are required in certain areas from May 1 – Nov 30

Five sea turtle species in US Atlantic Ocean:

• Green
• Hawksbill
• Kemp’s ridley
• Leatherback
• Loggerhead

Scallops are opened by hand and the adductor muscle removed (shucked). Shells and viscera are discarded.

• On a 10 day trip, each crew member will shuck about 50,000 scallops
• The scallop meats are placed in a wash tank of sea water to cleanse the meat of any sand and grit.
• The cleaned scallop meats are bagged into 50 pound cheesecloth bags and then placed on ice in the vessel’s fish hold.

A majority of Northern Wind’s scallops come from the United States North Atlantic Coast Fishery – a protected resource that is managed and monitored by the US government.

• Our scallop supply boats are monitored by a days-at-sea management system, being assigned a specific number of fishing days each year in open and protected areas to ensure sustainability.
• We also continue to work with scallop boat owners to improve harvesting, shucking, and cleaning techniques.
• Our scallop resources, as well as both of our processing facilities, are MSC-C-53909 certified.

Northern Wind can perform a product trace, both forward and backwards.

Our dedicated Seafood Database:

1. Can trace all raw material back to the fishing vessel and the actual harvest area. We can do a trace from receipt of incoming raw material to our customers.
2. Can identify materials at receipt and trace these materials through all stages of incoming, processing, and shipments.
3. Traceability back to the original source will be audited at least once a year to ensure the process is adequate.