Scallop fisheries in WA may produce widely varying catches from year to year. A good price and demand are maintained for scallop meat in local and international markets. Scallops are normally fished between April and November and the fishery is closed during the summer. Prawn trawlers in Shark Bay are licensed to take both prawns and scallops. In 1999, vessels licensed for scallop fishing only took around 70 per cent of the total catch, while the remainder was taken by prawn trawlers.
Whole weight is approximately five times the meat weight, depending on scallop condition.
Patches of scallops may occur in different places from year to year. The likely cause of this is water circulation, transporting and depositing scallop larvae in different locations. Annual catches in scallop fisheries can vary enormously. The catch for 1993 in Shark Bay was still high at 1,935t with between 300 and 600t considered an average annual catch. The 1999 catch of 340t is within this range.