Isle of Man queen scallop season begins

Thu, 02 Jul 2020

The Island's Queen Scallop season has got underway.

A total catch limit has been set at 557 tonnes by the Isle of Man Scallop Management Board.

The Manx Government says a recent industry survey of Manx scallop beds revealed good news with encouraging signs of an increase in queen scallop stocks.

The survey is normally carried out by scientists from Bangor University in April, however the University was unable to bring its vessel to the Island this year due to Covid-19 restrictions. Instead the University worked with the Manx Fish Producers' Organisation (MFPO) and local fishing crews to collect the data in May.

The data enabled Bangor scientists to estimate changes in queen scallop stocks and, for the first time in many years, the numbers were positive on all grounds.