FUTURE OF THE ALASKAN SEA SCALLOP FISHERY

Both the State of Alaska and the U. S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries realized that to assure success of an Alaskan sea scallop fishery, the discovery of scallop beds of commercial size was imperative and that it was impractical to expect fishermen or processors to pay the cost of the required extensive survey of the Gulf of Alaska. The two agencies entered into agreement, therefore, to provide funds for an economic feasibility study of the scallop resources in the Gulf of Alaska.

The study of the sea scallop resources in the Gulf of Alaska would be carried out using a commercial sea scallop fishing vessel from New Bedford, Massachusetts. The vessel selected was the 90 foot F/V VIKING QUEEN captained by Kaare Ness of New Bedford. Areas to be surveyed are from Lituya Bay to Cape Cleare, Cook Inlet, and off Kodiak Island. During the survey, information will be collected on the geographical distribution of sea scallops, catch per tow, scallop size, age and growth, shell height-meat weight relation, and the cost of catching, processing, and selling the catch.

The survey began April 27, 1968, and at press time was still in progress. During the first 9 fishing days the area from Lituya Bay to Ocean Cape was sampled. Results were very encouraging. In some areas, there were catches as high as 100 bushels of sea scallops per tow (total for two dredges fished simultaneously).

Because the abundance of sea scallops is at an all time low on Georges Bank, the major fishing ground of the U.S. and Canada sea scallop fleets, there should be an excellent market for the sea scallop meats produced in Alaskan waters. In Ireland, England, France, and Australia, the gonads (egg sacs) of scallops are marketed along with the adductor muscles. In some areas even the mantles are marketed (Boume, 1964). It is not known if the viscera and gonads of sea scallops caught in waters off Alaska can be marketed. Preliminary tests of the viscera as bait for king crab have proven unsuccessful. Samples of viscera have been shipped to the State of Washington for experimental use as bait for dungeness crab. Also, certain brokers are studying the feasibility of marketing the gonads.

ORIGINAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are grateful for the hospitality and assistance received from Miles Rice, captain of the F/V VIRGINIA SANTOS, and his crew members Ed Rains, Bob Low, Pat Brody, Warren Kinser, and Vivien Robinson. We are also indebted to captain Bruno Stals, a sea scallop fisherman from New Bedford, Massachusetts, for information on the east coast sea scallop fishery and to Howard Anderson, superintendent of King Crab, Inc. , Kodiak, for use of his plant facilities during the study.
The taste evaluation of the sea scallop meats was done under the supervision of Murray Haynes, director of the U. S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Technological Laboratory, Ketchikan, Alaska. Thanks are also due F. Heward Bell, director of investigations for the International Pacific Halibut Commission, Seattle, Washington, Lael Ronholt, assistant base director of the U. S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Exploratory Fishing and Gear Research Laboratory, Juneau, Alaska, and Charles Hitz, fishery biologist at the U. S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Exploratory Fishing and Gear Research Base, Seattle, Washington, for providing us with copies of cruise reports.