US scallop landings top 19.6m lb as mid-grade dock prices slip
The US Atlantic sea scallop fleet has already landed more than the fishery was projected to take for the entire 2026-27 season, and the auction board in New Bedford shows what that looks like at the dock: plenty of mid-grade product moving, and it is moving cheaper.
NOAA Fisheries' quota monitor puts cumulative limited-access landings at 19.6 million pounds through Nov. 4, against an annual projected landing figure of 16.14 million. Undercurrent News reported on Nov. 10 that harvesters booked a minor rebound in volume alongside a drop in dock prices. That combination says more about size mix than about demand.
The Numbers
The quota report, run Nov. 5 for data through Nov. 4, shows limited-access vessels at 19,595,318 pounds, or 78.19% of the 25,059,945-pound sub-ACL and 121.41% of the 16,140,042-pound annual projection. The limited-access general category fleet stood at 481,149 pounds, 36.31% of its 1,324,978-pound sub-ACL.
The monthly trend is the part worth reading twice. Limited-access landings ran 3.84 million pounds in April, 2.30 million in August, 1.87 million in September and 1.02 million in October. Five months remain in a quota period that closes March 31, with roughly 22% of the sub-ACL still uncaught.
At the Buyers and Sellers Exchange, the Nov. 10 posting lists 30-40 Mid-Atlantic scallops at 17,358 pounds at an average of $10.96 a pound, up from 15,069 pounds at $11.25 on Nov. 9, which is about 15% more volume at 2.6% less money. The 10-20 grade moved from $22.76 to $22.71 on 1,440 pounds. The Nov. 9 board also carried U-10 Channel scallops at $37.55 and U-12 at $35.25, so the gap between the top count and the 30-40 line is still around 3.4 to 1.
For context on how the season is being paid for: NOAA awarded 1.5 million pounds of scallop quota through the research set-aside programme this year, valued at an estimated $16 a pound, according to SeafoodSource.
What It Means for Buyers
The headline is a supply overshoot, not a glut. The pounds exist, but they sit in the counts foodservice uses for value lines, while large meats remain the scarce item and are priced accordingly. Buyers covering U-10 or U-12 for retail packs or premium menu items are not in a buyer's market and should book coverage early rather than wait for mid-grade weakness to spread upward. It probably will not.
For 20-30 and 30-40 programmes the softening is real but shallow. A 2.6% week-on-week move on a thin auction is a signal, not a floor. The more useful read is the ratio: while 30-40 trades near $11 and U-10 holds near $37, blending and grade substitution become commercially attractive for value-added lines, and processors will chase that spread before they chase volume.
The risk sits in the back half of the quota year. Landings are 21% ahead of projection with five months left, and harvesting efficiency has been sliding since spring, with average open-area landings per day at sea falling from 2,427 pounds in April to 1,293 pounds in September on Undercurrent's tracking. That pattern usually means the tail of the season is thinner than a year-to-date chart implies. Anyone with January-to-March arrival windows should not assume today's mid-grade availability survives at today's price.
What to Watch
The November monthly landing figure in NOAA's next quota report, due in early December.
Whether 30-40 volume keeps building at auction, which would confirm the size-mix pressure.
Work on 2027-28 specifications by NOAA and the New England Fishery Management Council.
Japanese and French demand for large meats, the main support under the top of the price curve.
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This article was researched and drafted with the assistance of AI and is published for general information only. It does not constitute trading, pricing, or investment advice, and readers should verify all figures against the original sources linked above before making commercial decisions. Content on this page is partly AI-generated. Easy Seafood makes no warranty as to its accuracy or completeness.
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