Using new technology for harvesting great scallop as a research tool

Both commercial harvesting and monitoring of great scallops are currently carried out using scuba divers. However, stricter regulations on deep‑sea work diving have led operators engaged in long‑term scallop harvesting to explore remotely operated underwater technology that offers both effective capture and minimal environmental impact.

This project examined whether a newly developed ROV could supplement diver‑based methods in mapping and monitoring by collecting representative samples for assessing recruitment, age and growth. Such data are essential for developing population models and estimating harvestable biomass.