Scottish Scallop Stocks: Results of 2025 Stock Assessments
This report presents the results of Scottish regional king scallop stock assessments carried out by the Marine Directorate including data up to 2024. It also provides background information on Scottish fisheries for scallops, and the current management and regulatory framework.
Abstract
The Scottish commercial dredge fishery for the king scallop (Pecten maximus) began in the 1930s in the Clyde. It has since expanded around the coast of mainland Scotland and its islands to become the second most valuable shellfish fishery in Scotland. In 2024, total landings into Scotland were in excess of 7,500 tonnes with a value at first-sale of over £18 million.
This report presents the results of Scottish regional king scallop stock assessments carried out by MD-SEDD based on commercial catch-at-age data and survey data, up to and including 2024. Full analytical assessments are presented for the East Coast, North East, North West, Shetland and West of Kintyre scallop stocks. The report also provides background information on Scottish fisheries for scallops, along with a description of the current management and regulatory framework.
Biomass in all assessed areas is estimated to be above the precautionary reference point in 2024. Most assessed areas have seen a decline in landings over time, resulting in fishing mortality declining to a level considered to be sustainable. The exceptions to this are Shetland, where fishing mortality is around the precautionary reference point, and the North East where fishing mortality is estimated at well above the precautionary reference point.