Cheaper imports? No thanks.

Scallops packed in ice below deck of a New Bedford fishing boat, F/V Edgartown, after a trip this year.
Credit: Will Sennott / The New Bedford Light

By Will Sennott, March 19, 2024

It’s not Godzilla. But a smaller, more succulent beast is emerging from the Pacific Ocean that could spell problems for the Port of New Bedford: 18 million pounds of imported Japanese scallops.

The 2023 scallop season ends this month, and it has been a challenging one for New Bedford’s most lucrative industry. It’s marked by increasing costs for vessel owners, fewer days at sea for fishermen and the lowest annual harvest in more than a decade…

Editor’s note: Stonington’s famous scallops are subject to the same environmental and trade conditions as New Bedford’s, although on a smaller scale. Will Sennott’s superb article examines the many factors involved in the scallop market, and I would add just one: buyer loyalty at the restaurant and retail level makes a difference. That’s why you won’t find imported scallops in Stonington, at any price.