Dar seafood ppp standard

Scallops

Pre-harvest: Wild-catch southern scallops are harvested by dredging or diving in coastal waters up to 120 metres deep. Saucer scallops are capable of swimming out of the way of dredges, and are primarily caught by trawling (often as by-catch of demersal otter prawn trawling) in shallower waters, up to 75 metres deep.
Scallops filter-feed on plankton and organic detritus from water and sediments in which they settle. As filter feeders, they are subject to the same potential for bioaccumulation of chemical and biological food safety hazards as oysters (see above).

However, the growing environments of wild-caught scallops are less likely to be subjected to significant levels of contamination by human sewage pollution or agricultural run-off. Levels of enteric pathogens and agricultural chemical residues are likely to be low at point of harvest. Endogenous marine pathogens may still present a risk, particularly the Vibrio species and also C. botulinum, which is found in marine sediments.

Until recently, aquaculture of southern scallops in Australia was limited to rearing wild or hatchery spat to the stage at which they detach from their initial sessile state. Intermediate culture in midwater cages was usually followed by reseeding of the sea floor for grow out to commercial size. More recently, the use of lantern nets or more rigid nets suspended from longlines throughout the ~18 month grow out cycle has been successfully employed. Food safety risks arising from water quality issues in the aquaculture of scallops are obviously related to the choice of site. Shallower coastal sites are preferred, which are closer to land and subject to greater potential for contamination by sewage and agricultural run-offs. The potential for contamination by algal biotoxins would be similar for farmed and wild scallops.
Post-harvest: After catching, scallops are sorted and washed on board, and stored live in steel crates or hessian sacks at ambient temperature. The processing of scallops involves removing the gut and shell and retaining the adductor muscle (scallop meat) and the roe (where applicable). After landing, the crates or sacks are opened and the scallops are emptied into hoppers. A knife is inserted to open the shell and the meat and roe are cut out and placed into containers. The freshly shucked scallops are washed and drained before being chilled or frozen. The potential for contamination and temperature abuse during shucking, transport and downstream food handling is similar to that encountered with oysters. Consumption of saucer scallops is usually restricted to the adductor muscle tissue, which tends to accumulate lower levels of food safety hazards than the roe.