Below is a graph comparing landings over time, some intermediate data points are extrapolated.
US landings for 2000 will likely be over 30 million pounds, 2001 may top 40 million.
Conversion factors used: whole weight to meat ~8:1, thus 550,000mt whole => ~70,000mt meats
or ~150,000,000 pounds
This steady increase has been based on four factors:
1. Spat collection, setting fine mesh artificial substrate for scallop larvae,
2. Increasing 1st year survival, exclusion of predators within collectors
3. Bottom reseeding and delay of catch until scallop are large
4. Active predator control, removal of starfish and crabs.
Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center page on the Maine delegation visit to Amori Prefecture scallop fishery.
Another aspect of this comparison is that the seafloor area used in Japan to achieve this production is relatively small. In the US, the oyster industry in the state waters of Connecticut produces about the same landed value within 3 miles of the beach as the US Atlantic scallop industry produces using a significant fraction of the US continental shelf.
