Captured Species
View what other people say about this fish

Photo	Names
Illustrations by Chris Van Dusen Images Courtesy of Seafood Business Magazine	Latin: Placopecten magellanicus French: Coquille St. Jaques German: Kamm-Muschel Spanish: Vieira Japanese: Hotategai Russian: Gryebyeshok

Description

The sea scallop is the largest commercially available scallop, growing up to 20 cm (8 in) in diameter. Sea scallops are harvested and rarely survive the trip to the water's surface, so they are usually shucked immediately after capture. Because of the depths from which they are harvested sea scallops are also called Atlantic deep-sea scallops.

Markets	Commercial Aspects
Exporting Countries Capture: United States, Canada, Iceland Primary Consumers Japan, United States, France	Total North American landings average 20 million lbs annually.

Production Trends

Diet/Health Info

Sea scallops are overfished. Protectionary measures have been established and the sea scallop population is expected to rebound. Cultured scallop projects are being developed.

As filter feeders, scallops can collect harmful toxins, bacteria, and pollutants within their tissues. Scallops produced in Europe undergo a depuration process to rid them of these toxins. Scallops in the United States do not undergo these processes, but rather the water they grow in is monitored. Buyers should be aware of the region and water quality the scallops they purchase originated from. Cooking the scallop kills any dangerous bacteria that may reside within the scallop. Also, since only the meat of scallops is generally eaten in the United States, not the digestive tract where toxins accumulate, the danger is significantly lessened.

The Global Supply

Do you know something about this fish that is not on this page or do you have a story or any insight regarding this fish? Share it with us and the rest of the world. Add your comment about about this fish here