• The Life Cycle of a Scallop
• Harvesting in the U.S.
• Types & Species of Scallops
• Scallop Processing
• Preparation & Recipes

Types & Species of Scallops
Two types of scallops, seas and bays, dominate the commercial scallop business in the United States. A third variety, calicos, are caught in small quantities off the coast of Florida.

Sea scallops are much larger than bays; they are offered in the following "count per lb." sizes: under 10 per lb., 10-20/lb., 20-30/lb. and 30-40/lb. Bay scallops are generally marketed in four sizes: 40-60/lb., 60-80/lb., 80-120/lb and 120-150/lb. While sea scallops are found in deep ocean waters, domestic bay scallops reside in bays and estuaries from New England to the Gulf of Mexico. As harvests of bay scallops from U.S. waters have been small in recent years, many of the bay scallops consumed today are imported from China and Mexico.

Domestically caught scallops satisfy the largest segment of the U.S. market; however, imported scallops play an important role in helping meet market demand.

The main species that are sold/consumed in the U.S. are:

• North Atlantic Sea Scallops (placopecten magellanicus)
• Chinese Bay Scallops (argopecten irradians)
• Japanese Sea Scallops (pecten yessoensis)
• Mexican Bay Scallops (argopecten circularis)
• Chinese Sea Scallops (pecten yessoensis)