Norway has in the past seen a boom and bust fishery for scallops. In the late 1980s and early 1990s a dredge fishery for a cold water Arctic Scallop existed, until overexploitation and plunging catch rates saw it collapse – and the Norwegian authorities banned scallop dredging in 1993.
Changes are now taking place, as the use of scallop pots takes off across the country, driving the development of a new, low-impact fishery, that could be a valuable new source of income for many small coastal communities.
Norwegian fishing gear supplier Frøystad is helping to drive this new innovation, with a Norwegian version of the Fishtek scallop pots, adapted for the different conditions found in Norway.
‘We have had a long relationship with Fishtek Marine, working with them on other technical innovations in Norwegian fisheries, and were receptive when they suggested we take a look at scallop potting as well,’ said Geir Johann Bakke, CEO of Frøystad.
‘There was a huge boom in the Norwegian dredge fishery in the late 1980s, but it went bust very quickly, and dredging is no longer an option in the fishery now. We took a decision to exhibit the Fishtek Marine scallop pots at a trade show in Norway in August 2024, and generated a huge amount of interest, selling around 600 the next month, mainly in small quantities to part-time vessel owners, who bought a few just for a trial,’ he explained.
‘By October, the messages we were getting from customers was: “It works!” By November, the messages we were getting was “how can we make it work better?” Customers were starting to realise that this had real potential as a business.’
He commented that what they are looking at is a transition from what is currently a small fishery for home or limited local consumption, to the potential for a new industry, shipping live scallops to city restaurants, or even for export.
‘Our scallop fishery is quite different from what you find in the UK, where this technology was first developed. In the UK they are harvested, mainly from a seabed made of relatively flat sand and gravel, using dredges. In Norway dredging is not permitted, and this species of scallop is found in amongst forests of kelp within our fjords. We do have a small dive fishery for scallops – one diver we speak to said he is finding it ever harder to justify the business, due to the health and safety requirements, and is looking now at the viability of a switch from diving to potting.’
According to Geir Johann Bakke, the key to this will be the development of a market for the scallops. More needs to be known about catch rates over the course of the year.
‘But the potential is certainly there. I was getting reports of catches of scallops all the way up to Christmas, even with our water temperatures a degree or two colder than those in the UK,’ he said.
‘One way I think this may develop is with existing fishermen who are working large amounts of pots for freshwater crayfish. Fishing of crayfish is large-scale – we sell thousands of pots a year, and those involved have the logistics to transport large volumes of live crayfish to market. Fishing for prawns with pots is smaller – the fishing today is in our fjords, but we are working on new prawn pots for ocean fishing in, for example, the Barents Sea. Adding live scallops to their supply chain should also be relatively straightforward,’ he said.
‘It’s early days here for scallop potting in Norway – we are, I think, a year or two behind the UK. W also have to adapt to the different fishing conditions, and different markets, but we’ve now sold over 1500 pots, and are still receiving a lot of calls from others interested in the fishery, so I am very optimistic that in the next year or two we’ll see development of a healthy and sustainable new scallop pot fishery.’
