Fisheries in Aomori Prefecture began harvesting "baby scallops" on Monday, though total annual yields are expected to drop by half [1].

This decline threatens one of Japan's most critical seafood industries. The loss of juvenile scallops creates a supply gap that will affect market availability and pricing for several years as the population recovers.

Approximately two tons of baby scallops — one-year-old shellfish from Mutsu Bay — were landed in the town of Hiranai [1]. Despite this start, the total scallop harvest for the current fiscal year is projected to reach only about 10,000 tons [1]. This figure represents roughly half of the previous year's total [1].

For comparison, the harvest for Aomori scallops in the 2025 fiscal year was 19,828 tons [6]. The sharp decline is attributed to rising water temperatures in recent years, which caused mass mortality among juvenile shells and stunted the growth of survivors [1], [2], [3].

Data indicates a severe impact on the earliest stages of development, with a juvenile shell mortality rate of 93.3 percent [3]. This biological collapse has led to a thinner crop of harvestable shellfish.

Market prices have also shifted. Semi-adult scallops, approximately one year old, are priced at 300 yen per kilogram [4]. This price reflects a decrease of 85 yen compared to the same period last year [4].

Local fisheries cooperatives and the Aomori Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative are managing the remaining stock as they navigate the environmental challenges of the Mutsu Bay region [1].

“Total scallop harvest for the current fiscal year is projected to reach only about 10,000 tons.”

The drastic reduction in scallop yields underscores the vulnerability of aquaculture to climate-driven ocean warming. Because the mortality rate hit the juvenile population so severely, the industry faces a multi-year recovery period, as there are fewer shells maturing into the larger, more valuable adult sizes typically harvested for commercial sale.