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ICELAND SCALLOP Chlamys islandica

Iceland scallop occurs in the fjords off the west and northwest coast of Iceland. Scallops feed on plant and animal plankton. The normal habitat is a hard sea bottom at depths of 15-80 m and they are most abundant in fairly strong nutrient rich currents. Scallops grow rather slowly and mainly in the spring and summer months. Ten year old scallops measure 6.5-8.5 cm in height. Spawning takes place in June/July.

The Iceland scallop is caught by dredging along the sea bed at a depth of 20-70 m. The season traditionally extends from late July and throughout winter with the best fishing in the autumn months. The scallop fishery is centered in the Breidafjordur area.

The annual scallop landings in Icelandic waters were in the order of 8,000-17,000 tonnes in the period 1980-2000, but declined in the following years and have been nil in the past three years.

During most of the 1990s the scallop stock in Breidafjordur appeared stable but from 2001 a significant decline in the stock index has been observed, together with a marked decrease in catch per unit of effort. The downward trend is related to low recruitment from a number of year classes and increased natural mortality that may be due to unusually high bottom temperatures and protozoan infestation in adult scallops. In view of this, no fishing for scallops has been permitted in the past two years.

The diagram shows the development of the scallop catch in Breidafjordur since 2001, together with the recommendations of the MRI and the set TAC.

Shellfish poisoning Poisons may accumulate in shellfish following algal blooms in the height of summer. Although a fairly rare occurrence in Iceland, this phenomenon must be kept in mind by those who like to collect fresh shellfish for eating whole from the shell. The poison is most frequently found in the gonads. Scallop processing in Iceland involves separating and quick-freezing the adductor muscle only, which does not accumulate the poison.

Latest update July 2007

fisheries@fisheries.is

The Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries