Scallops Grow Faster Than We Thought

In our latest video, we caught up with Dr. Christopher Noren, a newly minted PhD in sustainable aquaculture and an emerging voice in scallop farming. What he’s discovered could shift the way we think about growing scallops.

Chris and his team used a tool from agriculture—called Growing Degree Days—to track how fast scallops grow in different conditions. The big surprise? Scallops raised in the upper water column grow up to twice as fast as we once thought.

“It’s like putting them in a chlorophyll McDonald’s drive-thru,” Chris joked. “They’re constantly surrounded by food.”

This means farmers don’t have to wait 7–8 years to harvest. In the right spot, with the right setup, scallops can hit market size in half the time.  

And here's another key takeaway: scallops thrive in different habitats than oysters, which means new farmers don’t have to compete for the same lease space. This opens up new water and fresh opportunities.

For farmers and chefs interested in sustainable seafood, understanding how to unlock a scallop’s growth potential carries significant implications for advancing our vision of scallop aquaculture and having a positive impact on our community by achieving some of our stated goals:  

• Revitalize working waterfronts
• Create high-value, low-impact jobs
• Diversify local food economies
• Help meet rising global demand for sustainable protein

At Blue Lantern Shellfish, we’re excited to be part of that story—and to share voices like Chris’s that are helping chart the course forward.

Dr. Christopher Noren is an aspiring scallop farmer and recent recipient of a PhD in sustainable Aquaculture from the University of Maine. He also works for the MSC Marine Stewardship Council Certification, which certifies sustainable fisheries around the globe.