Where scallop potting all began...

Let us cast you back to 2022: Covid restrictions were finally easing, the Lionesses made history, and London’s Elizabeth Line opened. But beneath the waves, an even more unexpected breakthrough was taking place – one that had the potential to change the way we fish for scallops forever…

Much like Alexander Fleming stumbling upon penicillin or Archimedes’ famous “Eureka” moment in the bath, the discovery of scallop potting came completely by accident. It all started with a simple question, and one which didn’t even involve scallops!! “Could lights be used to attract crabs and lobsters into traps?”

Devon-based fisheries scientist Dr. Rob Enever and his team at Fishtek Marine set out to answer that question by developing small, battery-powered LED lights. Their goal was simple: to replace the need for bait in crab and lobster pots, helping to conserve fish stocks. But something remarkable happened when fisherman Jon Ashworth trialled the lights off the coast of Cornwall in 2019.

Marine scientist Dr. Rob Enever and his team at Fishtek Marine developed small underwater "potlights" as an innovative solution to conserve fish stocks by eliminating the need for fish bait in crab and lobster pots. (Photo credit: Simon Hird/Fishtek Marine

“Pretty much every pot we hauled had scallops in them,” Ashworth recalls. “And every pot without lights had none. It was conclusive, there and then. To have proof that lights can be used to catch scallops has got to have some awesome implications looking forward.”

It turned out that scallops – armed with up to 200 mirror-like eyes – were irresistibly drawn to the lights, while crabs and lobsters remained unimpressed.

“This is one of the most exciting things I have come across in my whole career – it’s such a surprise,” said Dr. Bryce Stewart, a marine ecologist and fisheries biologist at the University of York.

In follow-up trials funded by Defra and Natural England, the numbers spoke for themselves. Of the 1,886 pots hauled, 985 pots equipped with lights caught a staggering 518 scallops. Pots without lights? Just two.

The State of Scallop Fishing in the UK

Scallops are England’s most valuable fishery and the fourth most valuable in the UK, with demand soaring from both domestic and international markets. However, almost all scallops are caught using dredges, which rake the seabed, damaging marine habitats and creating conflict with local fishers.

“There’s an opportunity here to change that,” explains Dr. Rob Enever. “Scallop potting has the potential to create a low-input, low-impact fishery that’s commercially viable and environmentally friendly. It’s a win-win.”

The discovery couldn’t have come at a better time. Scallop dredging has been widely criticised for its environmental impact, while diver-caught scallops remain too labour-intensive and expensive to meet growing demand. Scallop potting offers a middle ground – a sustainable solution with scalability.

A Bright Future

Powered by nothing more than two rechargeable AA batteries, these small LED lights have sparked something much bigger: a revolution. Modifications are already underway to refine the traps and make them even more efficient. Early trials have shown that blue light attracts more scallops than white, opening up even more possibilities.

“This has the potential to open up a whole new inshore fishery,” says Dr. Enever. “I genuinely think we can make this commercially viable.”

So, while 2022 might be remembered for plenty of things above ground, beneath the waves, it was the year scallops danced their way into pots – and into history.

Stay tuned as we dive deeper into the trials, the tech, and the incredible people behind this sustainable scallop revolution.