Spat Settlement of the Scallops Chlamys Opercularis (L.) and Pecten Maximus (L.) On Artificial Collectors

Abstract

Scallops of the bivalve family Pectinidae are very valuable shellfish and the subject of various important commercial fisheries around the world. Most of these fisheries are at present dependent upon natural populations, which can fluctuate widely in abundance from year to year due to irregular recruitment and overfishing. In recent years there has been considerable interest in the possibilities of cultivating various scallop species and some success has been obtained in rearing larvae of Pecten maximus (L.) in the laboratory (Comely, 1972; Gruffydd & Beaumont, 1972). However, by far the most successful cultivation system developed for pectinids has been carried out for several years in Japan for Patinopecten yessoensis (Jay). Naturally produced spat settling on Collectors made from artificial materials are grown on to market size in cages in the sea or used to restock natural beds (Ito, Kanno & Takashashi, 1975; Querellou, 1975; Motoda, 1977).