NB this tour is referenced on both pages 143 and 145 of the 2004 edition of Lonely Planet we were using.
To our horror, the “scallop tasting”, described in Saeferdir’s publicity material, is of scallops that have been trawled from the seabed during the trip using chain nets. Approximately 60-70% of the volume of the catch was of crabs, mussels, starfish and sea urchins – i.e. waste. We tried to throw back as much of this as we could reach, but the boat staff had no interest in doing this until all the scallops had been shucked, by which time most of the sea urchins were undoubtedly dead. I am no expert on the subject, but the scallops trawled also looked decidedly under-sized.
I have noticed that the 2004 edition or Lonely Planet we had with us on the trip listed “oyster tasting” and not “scallop tasting”. With 2 trips a day, trawling in the same area, clearly they have decimated the oyster population in the area and have now moved on to the scallops.
Clearly, whether trawling is acceptable or not is very much up to the individual participating in the trip. Certainly it didn’t seem to bother the (mainly) Germans gathered round the tasting table, nor the German girl from whom I rescued a starfish as she was trying to hack its leg off with a blunt knife. I have provided feedback and asked the Lonely Planet to be a little more explicit as to what the “scallop tasting” actually involves on the trip, so that a fully educated decision can be made by tourists, but BEWARE if you are planning to take this trip yourselves and are concious of ethical food issues!
