The vast majority of scallops landed in the UK are caught using heavy steel dredges which damage seabed habitats. Shellfish diving is possible in relatively shallow and sheltered areas, and operators have to comply with strict regulations. Many inshore fishermen have been suffering from declines in shellfish and fish stocks and challenges in competing at small scale.
Fishtek Marine were working with a fisherman in Cornwall to see whether underwater lights increased catches of brown crab, an experiment which ultimately had no effect on crab, but the fisherman did notice that there were more scallops. This point was the start of a five-year journey to develop a pot and entrance that were optimised for catching scallops. This accidental discovery showed that catching scallops in pots was possible, but could we make it commercially viable?
AMBITION
AMBITION
Over the next few years our ambition is that potting for scallops continues to grow amongst small-scale fishers in Europe, Norway, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and North America. Policy and regulations support this niche activity, and benefits to the environment are seen with reduction in the scale and footprint of scallop dredging.
POTENTIAL IMPACT
POTENTIAL IMPACT
Scallop potting is still a niche activity, but it has the potential to allow small scale fishermen to supplement their incomes with a product that has a much lower impact. Volumes will always be small, but fishermen across the UK are landing thousands of scallops to eager consumers.
FUNDING
FUNDING
An important part of this story has been the role of public and private finance in supporting the development phases – involving years of trials – something that we could never achieve as a small company. Natural England and the Seafood Innovation Fund were key in seeing an opportunity for low impact fishing gear as a means to support their policy goals. This research has also been supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Fishmongers’ Company and the Devon Environment Fund. The Crown Estates, through the Offshore Wind Evidence and Change (OWEC) fund are investing the potential for scallop potting to co-exist within offshore wind farms and research taking place now in the North Sea.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
Over the next few years, we will continue to support research to help us understand more about the use of lights in pot and trap fisheries. We will also continue to help grow pot-caught scallops through helping fishermen adopt new gear and find a market with our collaboration with Disco Seafoods. This company acts as a bridge between fishermen, the seafood supply chain and consumers. Our ambition is for pot-caught ‘disco scallops’ to become a sought after seafood product with fishermen able to access a profitable supply chain.
Disco Scallops is a company that has been set up to connect and support fishermen, restaurants and buyers.