TEMPORARY QUEEN SCALLOPS CLOSURE

Temporary queen scallops closure. Queen scallop fishing in ICES sub areas 6a and 7a will be closed from 1 April to 30 June 2026 to protect spawning stocks.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO), working with the other UK fisheries administrations, has reached a decision to enact a licence variation for the temporary closure.

The three-month closure will allow the scallops to spawn before they are caught as well as increasing protection for juvenile scallops to grow.

The absence of scallop dredging will also reduce removal of animals and plants at the bottom of the ocean which scallop larvae need to settle on to begin their development and growth.