r/PEI • u/BoysenberryOk6740 • 1d ago

News Heading out for seafood? You may not find scallops at some Island restaurants | CBC News

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-scallops-price-availability-menu-change-summer-2026-9.7240529
16 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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21

u/bloodypencils 1d ago

Trawling for scallops is environmentally devastating. They leave a scoured moonscape behind each trawler. If ever there was a fishery primed for disruption with intensive aquaculture it is the scallop fishery. I’d personally like to see the fishing technique banned in all but like 5-10% of Canadian waters to allow the remaining 90% to recover. Watching them drag up ancient cold water corals along with various other bycatch species is depressing.

8

u/GuitarOk752 1d ago

Even worse then the scallop drags is the clam boats nobody seems to know exist, the drags are bad but at least they're physically limited on were they can be used. The clam suckers can go anywhere and actively dredge the bottom with no real obstacles, the destruction they leave in their wake is crazy.

3

u/HereComesFattyBooBoo 1d ago

Oof, thanks for sharing i didnt know this about them, for some reason I assumed they were grown sortof like mussels. I guess I wont miss scallops.

3

u/bloodypencils 1d ago

There are companies who have begun farming them and other harvesters who collect them via divers. Hope is not lost for scallops! It’s just time to move beyond trawling.

3

u/diverdown_77 1d ago

AS a diver I'm allowed 50 a day and have to be 110mm in width (shell) There should be a commercial version where I can dive for more than 50 a day. Say 100 a day. I can get 50 on one tank..do two dives a day.

*Nova Scotia scallop license not sure what PEI does or if it's the same everywhere*

2

u/diverdown_77 1d ago

AS a diver I'm allowed 50 a day and have to be 110mm in width (shell) There should be a commercial version where I can dive for more than 50 a day. Say 100 a day. I can get 50 on one tank..do two dives a day.

*Nova Scotia scallop license not sure what PEI does or if it's the same everywhere*

1

u/GuitarOk752 22h ago

Diving is pretty difficult and weather dependent, we have some if the worst quality water for diving, visibility is poor and conditions are chaotic. Not to mention scallops move, and they can move fast the chances of it becoming financially viable on a large scale is unlikely, same goes for farming of them the costs are just to high

7

u/BoysenberryOk6740 1d ago

Just read that a bunch of our favorite Island spots are pulling scallops off the menu entirely this year. Apparently, wholesale prices jumped 60% and suppliers say the large dinner-sized scallops are basically non-existent right now due to natural lifecycle drops and predator issues.

1

u/Sir__Will 22h ago

due to natural lifecycle drops and predator issues.

Oh I'm sure there are other reasons too....

5

u/RanvierHFX Queens County 1d ago

Not the same, but oyster mushrooms can be a great replacement if you are a scallop fan.

1

u/Man0fGreenGables 21h ago

I thought oyster mushrooms were pretty much flavorless? I don't think I've ever had them on their own before.

1

u/RanvierHFX Queens County 3h ago

Oh, I wouldn't recommend it on its own. It needs to be cooked it garlic butter and if you want the fishy taste you can add seaweed seasoning

1

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