NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — This coastal city calls itself the "Scallop Capital of the World" and last week celebrated with an inaugural Scallopalooza, a night festival and event organized by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center.
The event took place not far from the city's waterfront and celebrated the Atlantic sea scallop — and the people who work on the boats.
"What I tell people is, if you like seafood, if you want to know how your seafood gets [from] the boat to table, that process from the Atlantic Ocean to your table, at your favorite seafood restaurant …you have a stake in the story we're telling here. If you want to know about people and families and the evolutions of communities, this story matters to you too," said Joe Ritter, programs manager at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, which organized the celebration.
The highlight of Scallopalooza is a raucous "shucking contest," where over a dozen local scallopers face off, in heats, all up on a stage, to see who can remove the meat from the shell the cleanest. And fastest. It's a combination of speed, skill and tradition. Spectators in the front rows are likely to get scallop juice and body parts sprayed on them as a memento.
"We certainly hope people are gonna have a 'shucking' good time at this event," said Ritter.
"And the top fisherman from each round is going to go up in the finals, and they're going to compete for the title of New Bedford's best shucker. They're going to get a trophy," said Ritter. "And they're going to get bragging rights too!"
Like most festivals, Scallopalooza is a lot of fun, but scallops are serious business here. They're central to the city's identity and culture.
The impact of the species in New Bedford is massive. About 80% of the seafood, by value, that arrives on the docks here comes from scallops, according to a 2020 report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries.
Ritter said there are about 500 fishing vessels that fish out of the Port of New Bedford, and about two-thirds of them are going out for scallops.
"So I would say scallops are to New Bedford like corn and soybeans are to Illinois or Indiana," said Ritter.
The festival showcases the scallop, but also the people doing the hard work behind the scallop fishery, something that usually happens out at sea, not on dry land. Fishers and scallopers don't work a 9 to 5 job, they work long hours out on boats, away from their families and loved ones. The shucking contest is a chance to shine the spotlight on the skilled workers making it all happen.
The emcee prepares the scallopers, who are competing onstage, while the crowd cheers them on. "Knife up, step back, right? Everybody remember that … timers are you ready?" yells the emcee. The emcee counts down "3, 2, 1, shuck," while music blares and the scallop shells start flying.
A good knife is key to shucking. It's a steel blade with a rubber handle that scrapes out the scallop meat. It's usually wrapped in grip tape — and when it gets wet, it gets "grippy" and sticks to your hand better.
Not all the competitors here tonight, who make a living in the fishery, enjoy eating seafood, including scalloper Randall Bradley. "I don't eat any fish, actually. I get a lot of grief for it when I go on the boats and the guys find out, you know … maybe we'll take a couple scallops … and we'll cook a meal. And I'm the only one that doesn't eat them, and everybody looks at me sideways … like I'm a spy or something," said Bradley.
Despite the celebratory vibe at the festival, the industry isn't without challenges: Scientists say climate change, warming waters and ocean acidification affect the scallops. In particular, a NOAA-funded University of Connecticut team of scientists found that warming speeds scallop growth up to a limit, beyond which mortality rises. And future ocean acidification restricts this growth further, even in well-fed scallops.
But today, all this is left aside. There's even a booth to don a tiara and a jeweled crown and feel like a Scallop Queen.
Elmer Barrientos, 25, is a local scalloper. He's here to cheer on his friends. He says whaling was once key here in the city. "I mean, if you see the tradition, we used to be whalers, now scallop," said Barrientos. "Now, you say scallop, people think about New Bedford."
For Barrientos, there's pride in his job. There is also good eating. "I mean, you can eat it with butter. There is many ways. I like raw. You just cut it open. Oooof! That's the best way."
At the end of the heats and the stiff competition, local New Bedford scalloper Bryan Despres has the fastest time and wins. The emcee announces it to the crowd: "The Scallopalooza 2025 scallop shucking champion, Brian, from the FV Lady Dee, and here's your trophy. Hold it up!"
Despres hoists the trophy up and takes the mic. "It's the last chance for us, it's for New Bedford!"
Despres said he never imagined he could be a scalloper. That's because unlike many people here in New Bedford, he had no family tradition in the industry. For him, scalloping and earning a living on the water are about more than glory.
"Actually, I grew up in a foster home in New Bedford," said Despres, "and … got an opportunity for fishing, and like I said, it's life-changing for people."
And with his trophy in hand, Despres is now part of New Bedford's rich scalloping culture.
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