Scallop survey

A SURVEY of scallop stocks around Shetland will be undertaken over the next fortnight.

Marine Scotland will undertake 30-minute dredge hauls at sites around the isles which have been previously surveyed.

Staff from the government body will be in Shetland from Thursday (25 January) through to 7 February.

It aims to age, measure and assess damage on the scallops caught, while it will also collect information on by-catch of other commercial fish and shellfish specifies.

Another of the government body’s objectives is to identify, quantify numbers and assess damage of starfish species in all dredge tows, while it will also undertake filming of the dredges using a Go-Pro camera.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “This annual survey, which collects data on the abundance of scallops around Shetland, is part of Marine Scotland’s on-going research into inshore fisheries that supports the assessment of stock and the provision of sustainable fisheries management advice.”

The study comes just a matter of weeks after a row broke out between the fishing industry and a marine conservation organisation over the impact of scallop dredging on the seabed and the environment.