North Irish Sea scallop fisheries: a review of changes

Fishing for giant scallops, Pecten maximus, started in the north Irish Sea in 1937 and rapidly became the main fishery for Isle of Man boats. Since 1969 there has also been a valuable fishery for the queen scallop, Chlamys opercularis. This paper reviews the changes that have taken place during the development of these fisheries over the last 50 yr. The aspects covered include catches, value, the number and size of boats, types of gear, the areas fished, commercial processing and legislation controlling the fishery. The effects of increasing exploitation on scallop stocks are also considered by analysing available data sets on abundance, density, exploitation and mortality rates, population age structure and recruitment. With increasing exploitation, scallop abundance has decreased and the older age groups have been depleted. Most inshore fishing grounds show evidence of growth overfishing but the fishery is sustained by consistent recruitment. The problems of managing the fishery are discussed.