A National Scallop Group has been established to examine on a UK basis the problems facing the industry. The group, facilitated by Seafish, will be led by the Scallop Association and chaired by Seafish board member Professor Mike Kaiser. The rapporteur for the group will be Tom Pickerell of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB).
The purpose of the group is to bring together fishermen and their associations, statutory bodies and other stakeholders from across the UK to find solutions to the various challenges and retain economic viability for the industry.
The need for such a group was identified by the Scallop Association and SAGB the Shellfish Strategy. The scallop industry is facing not only the test of rising fuel costs, but also serious challenges from environmental groups and other fishing methods.
Jon Harman, Development Director at Seafish said: “This group will play a key role in bringing together an industry which, by its very nature, is nomadic as scallopers target different zones around the country at different times of the year.”
Mark Greet of Falfish said: “The British scallop fishery is one of the country’s most valuable seafood resources and the high quality product is appreciated by consumers both in the UK and Europe-wide.
“We are forming a National Group and hosting a symposium with representation from key members from the catching sector along with other important stakeholders to agree a strategy for the scallop sector. This initiative is vitally important to safeguard the future for all, especially fishing communities, the environment and shore side processors.”
Scallops, which are caught in specific areas of seabed that are typically gravelly and sandy-bottomed, are becoming increasingly popular with consumers and sales have risen by over 28% in the last year.
