Scallop Assessment Working Group (WGScallop)

The ICES Scallop Assessment Working Group (WGScallop) collates, reviews and analyses scallop landings data, scallop surveys and methods, scallop ageing procedures and advances in technology to further develop and improve appropriate stock assessment methods.

Data from the fifth year of the WGScallop data call were collated and compared with an extraction from the Regional Database Estimation System (RDBES) for the second year. A comparison of the two data calls highlighted issues that will be resolved intersessional. Once all issues have been resolved it will be decided whether the RDBES data can replace the WGScallop data call.

The systematic overview table of the geographic range of scallop stocks, current data availability and assessment methods produced in 2023 was updated. Presentations on the application of stock synthesis (SS3) using Isle of Man and Welsh stocks as case studies were given. Intersessional work on stock assessment and survey themes are scheduled for 2025.

Fisheries independent surveys provide a fundamental basis for stock assessment for many institutes. Multiple staff survey exchanges occurred in 2024, sharing knowledge and expertise. Exchanges will continue in 2025. The WG discussed EU project Aquarius and combining surveys across case study areas using ships and other equipment.

During the ICES WGScallop 2024 meeting, final outcomes of the genetic studies on king scallop in Scotland were presented by Heriot-Watt University, alongside updates from Strathclyde University, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), and Bangor University on larval dispersal modelling in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the North Irish Sea, respectively.

Presentations on gear modifications, including work from the Irish Institute (BIM) on assessing the affects of increased belly ring sizes, and remote electronic monitoring (REM) from the Scottish Marine Directorate were discussed.

The WG will compile an ageing manual collating the knowledge and discussions from the age reading workshops. Partner institutes will be identified to validate reference sets of scallop shells for each management area.

The queen scallop subgroup will be expanded in 2025 with the aim of reviewing and collating all existing relevant data for publication.