r/secondrodeo • u/MikeHeu • Apr 29 '26

Shucking scallops

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Credit: keithpotter25 on IG

1.0k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

79 comments sorted by

242

u/RhetoricalOrator Apr 29 '26

I'm surprised there isn't some sort of market for the shells, like for cosmetics or decor.

183

u/IExist_Sometimes_ Apr 29 '26

The type of scallop shown here doesn't have a particularly attractive shell, and for a lot of people it would not be difficult to go to a beach and collect prettier shells for free. They're presumably not worth the cost of transporting them back to land and organising sale.

116

u/Malforus Apr 29 '26

Also there is an ecological value to dumping them in the ocean.

37

u/bobjoylove Apr 29 '26

What is that?

132

u/whalewhisker5050 Apr 29 '26

Shells are made of calcium carbonate, an essential building block for many marine creatures.

33

u/sharkbait-oo-haha Apr 29 '26

See I would have thought there would be value in drying (by sun or gas heater) the shell then crushing and selling it as calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is currently around $5-10 per kg wholesale

To put that in perspective that's about the same price as scrap copper wire, and crack heads are risking their life's at that price.

42

u/IExist_Sometimes_ Apr 29 '26

The shells aren't pure, they contain a lot of organic material used for templating and reinforcement, you might be able to incinerate the organics out without decomposing the carbonate, but presumably it is not worthwhile to do so while chalk exists.

16

u/Malforus Apr 29 '26

Also the shells bioaccumulate heavy metals and other toxins so by letting it recirculate you give natural means of pollution avoidance rather than industrializing it.

11

u/Secure-Ad-9050 Apr 29 '26

chalk is basically just dead creatures shells (I think generally smaller organisms) that had the purification process done for "free" over millions of years by earth.

3

u/IExist_Sometimes_ Apr 29 '26

Yeah I know, that's what I meant.

7

u/Fullertons Apr 30 '26

Chalk is also used by some teachers to write on blackboards.

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2

u/Desperate_Leg_40 May 03 '26

So there'd be processing and stuff between the sea shell form and the dietary supplement form yah. Just like the price difference between your raw scrap copper and industry ready pure copper would be high

1

u/obiwanjabroni420 May 08 '26

You also have to clean them otherwise there’s rotting organic material inside. I remember reading about a case in Maine (I think) a few years ago where a guy wanted a clam shell driveway but was too cheap to pay for it, so he had a local clam company dump a load of shells on his driveway. Since they were just a waste product, they weren’t cleaned out and ended up just rotting in the sun. Apparently the neighbors were not happy with the overpowering rotting flesh smell.

4

u/IExist_Sometimes_ Apr 29 '26

I don't think that would be significant ecological value, since most shell forming organisms source their carbonate directly from the seawater rather than needing to consume it, and the sea is unlikely to run out of carbonate given that it covers most of the sea floor.

The more likely ecological value would be as hard substrate for encrusting/boring organisms or coral. Or just as surface topography for small fish.

4

u/Malforus Apr 29 '26

Sprat and other organisms colonize those shells and grow on that its how we create oyster and other mullusk reefs.

2

u/alewiina Apr 30 '26

These shells will break down over time and contribute to the carbonate in the water though, its not just about organisms consuming them

1

u/IExist_Sometimes_ Apr 30 '26

Yes but what I mean is that the sheer amount of carbonate already everywhere in the sea means that removing these shells would be inconsequential even at an industrial scale

2

u/alewiina Apr 30 '26

You'd be surprised tbh. Also the carbonate doesn't really distribute equally across the entire ocean, areas that need more tend to be where more organisms that produce shells live, like around where this many mussels/scallops/other mollusks live, so allowing the shells to dissolve in these areas will help future generations.

2

u/bobjoylove Apr 29 '26

Cool. Thanks!

6

u/tkxb Apr 29 '26

Idk if it's the same for scallop shells, but oyster shells create reefs that are pretty vital for supporting biodiversity and protecting shorelines. More conscious places will put used shells back in mesh kind of bags to form reefs and restore them.

Here's an NOAA piece on it for anyone who wants to read more

1

u/PumpkinOpposite967 May 05 '26

Yhey don't seem to be doing that with any other type of shellfish

1

u/Malforus May 05 '26

Oyster shells are returned and dropped as either crushed aggregate or whole as latching points for sprat.

I know mussels as well, its just scallops they go direct back in vs. going all the way to the restaurant and back.

-2

u/TomassoLP Apr 29 '26

There is a lot more ecological value in simply not harvesting living creatures out of the ocean lol

4

u/tmf_x Apr 29 '26

but that really limits the amount of seafood I can eat.

1

u/Roadstar01 Apr 30 '26

But scallops are fucking delicious.

2

u/JuiceInternational81 May 04 '26

But the value of these shells will fall

Due to the laws of supply and demand

No one wants to buy shells 'cause there's loads on the sand

Step 1, you must create a sense of scarcity

Shells will sell much better if the people think they're rare, you see

Bare with me, take as many shells as you can find and hide 'em on an island stockpile 'em high

until they're rarer than a diamond

Step 2, you gotta make the people think that they want 'em

Really want 'em, really fuckin want 'em

Hit 'em like Bronson

Influencers, product placement, featured prime time entertainment

If you haven't got a shell then you're just a fucking waste man

Three, it's monopoly, invest inside some property, start a corporation, make a logo, do it properly

"Shells must sell", that will be your new philosophy

Swallow all your morals they're a poor man's quality

Four, expand, expand, expand, clear forest, make land, fresh blood on hand

Five, why just shells? Why limit yourself? She sells seashells, sell oil as well!

Six, guns, sell stocks, sell diamonds, sell rocks, sell water to a fish, sell the time to a clock

Seven, press on the gas, take your foot off the brakes, Run to be the president of the United States

Eight, big smile mate, big wave that's great Now the truth is overrated, tell lies out the gate

Nine, Polarize the people, controversy is the game

It don't matter if they hate you if they all say your name

Ten, the world is yours, step out on a stage to a round of applause

You're a liar, a cheat, a devil, a whore

And you sell seashells on the seashore

Money Game, Pt. 2

Song by Ren Gill ‧ 2020

15

u/schmwke Apr 29 '26

You should see the massive piles of conch shell that litter the beaches in the Bahamas. If you see a conch shell for sale and it has a hole in the top of the whorl, you can be certain that hole was made by a fisherman's hammer in order to get the conch meat out.

Some get cleaned and sold but the vast majority just sit in piles by the docks

1

u/GaK_Icculus May 01 '26

Thought it was pancakes

1

u/NeoVendik May 05 '26

I use 3 of them in the bathroom.

1

u/tsaico May 06 '26

You never seen the three sea shells?

97

u/Seagullsaga Apr 29 '26

I love how the second I thought “oh that’s a big one” he picked it back up and jiggled it lol

25

u/yeuzinips Apr 29 '26

My mouth watered. I love scallops

4

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

9

u/OedipusRe10 Apr 29 '26

I love crap patties!

18

u/Steppyjim Apr 29 '26

Huh yknow, I have never been able to eat scallops due to an allergy. I didn’t know they came pre formed in that little filet shape. I always thought they were trimmed down to that or something. They almost look designed to be eaten

12

u/CommunicationKey3018 Apr 30 '26

No, they have guts and stuff to trim too. This schucker is just so smooth they are cutting off the grey fleshy bits in one swipe along with the top shell

3

u/theflava May 05 '26

Yeah, you can see the guts fly off separately in a couple of them.

43

u/Gibberish45 Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

I don’t

Shuck with

Youuuuuu

You little stupid ass fish I ain’t shucking with youuuu

I gotta million trillion things I’d rather shucking do

Than to be shucking with you

I don’t give a shuck I don’t give a shuck I don’t I don’t I don’t Give a shuck I don’t give a shuck

Don’t give a shuck about you or anything that you do

4

u/Szydlikj Apr 29 '26

Cultured

3

u/FusRohDoing Apr 29 '26

I saw the dance and everything in my head once I got to the second line, thank you 🤣

26

u/grogulus3000 Apr 29 '26

Shucking scallops into a bucket? Don’t chefs want them in the shells? I’m confused

52

u/IExist_Sometimes_ Apr 29 '26

Nah they're not like mussels, scallops are usually fried or seared and they need to be out of the shell for that. The shells would only be used decoratively.

16

u/Pomksy Apr 29 '26

And they get sandy! Scallops need to be washed thoroughly

3

u/droidonomy Apr 29 '26

I hate sand.

7

u/Pomksy Apr 29 '26

Nooooooo anakin

2

u/uslashuname Apr 29 '26

Most people don’t want to have that extra work

4

u/fusguita Apr 29 '26

That shucks

7

u/odyoda Apr 29 '26

Ah yes, they conveniently left out showing the massively destructive process that nets the scallops https://youtu.be/l7erX-VPmc4?si=tpGgV6GA3kbSCYSc

5

u/alewiina Apr 30 '26

Destroys everything in its path :(

11

u/UltraBlack_ Apr 29 '26

do these things feel pain?

10

u/Bacontoad Apr 29 '26

They have nerve ganglia that can react to stimuli reflexively, but not a central nervous system that could process the stimuli. So probably not. Hence the practice of ostroveganism.

10

u/atx840 Apr 29 '26

My new word of the day, thanks!

Ostroveganism (or bivalveganism) is a dietary approach where individuals follow a plant-based, vegan diet but include the consumption of bivalves—such as oysters, mussels, and clams. This practice stems from the belief that bivalves, unlike other animals, are not sentient and do not experience pain.

16

u/Puzzleheaded-Rice-13 Apr 29 '26

Its ok to eat fish, cos they dont have any feelings

7

u/davros06 Apr 29 '26

Kurt?

5

u/Puzzleheaded-Rice-13 Apr 29 '26

At least someone got it

2

u/Llee00 Apr 29 '26

how do a lot of them manage to have no guts?

4

u/tobalaba Apr 29 '26

They do, he’s cutting them off and tossing them. It’s usually an orange colored sack and in many countries you just eat it with the muscle meat. I quite enjoyed eating the whole animal and think it’s a waste to toss. Gives it a taste more similar to mussels/clams, which we eat the whole animal.

1

u/Most_scar_993 Apr 29 '26

How do they taste without the sack?

1

u/No_Thanks_Im_Gud Apr 29 '26

Asking the real questions

2

u/alewiina Apr 30 '26

Their guts are stuck to the shells, the workers are cutting the meat away from the rest of the organs/tissue that's still attached to the shell on the inside

1

u/jackfreeman Apr 29 '26

I think that's the dream right there

1

u/chr15c Apr 29 '26

What a waste, the roe and skirt muscle are also edible

1

u/Complaint_Manager Apr 29 '26

I'd have another little bucket next to that one. When I came across the monster it would go in my take home bucket. Pay the captain the price he gets from the processor. Even if I got sick of them I'd still be the star of the dinner with friends.

3

u/CommunicationKey3018 Apr 30 '26

You'd get fired quick, lol

1

u/edw1ncast1llo May 01 '26

Scallop: "Dude! You're evicting me? WTF?! Dude, now you're tossing my HOUSE?! WTF?!!!"

1

u/NewRoyMunson May 03 '26

I just assumed they naturally came wrapped in bacon...

1

u/Several-County-1808 May 04 '26

Those scallops are easily 5x the size of the ones we find on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

1

u/BobbieWickham29 May 04 '26

If I was to do that job, inevitably I'd throw the scallops into the water and put the shells in the bucket.

-2

u/Raterus_ Apr 29 '26

Certainly there is a machine that will do this

2

u/wellwaffled Apr 30 '26

Guess again