10 December 2020 21:01 GMT Updated 10 December 2020 23:27 GMT
The US Atlantic sea scallop fleet should be able to land 40 million pounds (18,143 metric tons) of scallops during the 2021 fishing year season, according to an announcement Thursday by the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC).
That is about 23 percent lower than the 52 million pound (23,586 metric tons) projection for the 2020 season.
The 40-million-pound projection for 2021, would make the season s catch the lowest since 2015, when 36.9 million pounds (16,737 metric tons) were harvested. From 2016 through 2020, landings have been above the 42 million-pound range.
Janice Plante, public affairs officer for the New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) told
IntraFish the decrease was not a surprise to the scallop fishery.