Most of the wild-caught scallop from Japan are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Catching volume has been considered in assessment. The stock status is considered in good condition.
The fishery method does not cause any significant modification to stock habitat under MSC requirements or cause serious or irreversible harm to the natural ecosystem’s structure and function. Sufficient information is available to conclude that there is very little interaction with non-target species and endangered, threatened, protected (ETP) species, limited interaction with benthic habitats, and the unit of certification appears to be affected by, and not affecting, phytoplankton abundance.
Under Japanese national and regional fisheries regulations, the fishery has been gathering information about the nature, distribution and vulnerability of all main habitat types in fishery areas at a level. Data should be gathered to allow identification on the nature of the impacts of the fishery on habitat types.
