A
secretive bivalve that spendsmost of its short life hiding inunderwater grasses, the bayscallop is a prized dinner entreefor many Floridians and animportant component of themarine ecosystem. Although bayscallops historically were avaluable seafood commodity,declining populations in many coastal areas ofFlorida have prompted restrictions that nowallow only recreational harvest. Scallops arehighly sensitive to changes in water quality andtherefore are an accurate barometer of anecosystem’s health. Just as coal miners usedcanaries to detect waning oxygen levels or thepresence of dangerous gases, the bay scallopprovides an early-warning system for scientistsmonitoring the quality of Florida’s coastalwaters.
Description
The bay scallop is a member of the shellfishfamily known as bivalves—for its two valves, orshells. Its upper valve is a darkmottled color and its lower valveis typically white. On occasion,both valves may take on a brightyellow or orange coloration. Bayscallops may reach a shell heightof three inches and live twoyears, although in Florida theirlife span is generally only oneyear.The bay scallop feeds continuously by“vacuuming” or filtering small particles of algaeand organic matter from the water. It does thisby funneling water over open pathways calledsiphons. One of these pathways takes in water,where it is moved through the gills by cilia, andparticles are skimmed off. The other pathwayexpels the filtered water along with digestivewaste.
Scientific name
Argopecten irradians
Size
3 inches
Range
Throughout the Florida Gulf Coast and on the Atlantic Coast as far northas West Palm Beach
Habitat
Seagrass meadows in shallow waters
Status
No commercial harvest is permitted. Recreational harvest is allowed onlyin state waters north of the Pasco-Hernando county line to the west bankof Mexico Beach Canal from July 1 through September 10.
BAY SCALLOPS
Underwater Canaries
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Scallop art after Pete Carmichael photo; used with permission.
An adult bay scallop can pump as much as15.5 quarts of water per hour.
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Scallops open their valves when feeding orbreathing and close them when predatorsapproach. The shell can also be slammed shut toavoid silt, which can clog the animal’s delicategills. Many tiny blue eyes arrayed along the outerrim of the shell detect movement near the animaland serve as a warning system. Whenthreatened, the scallop can swim by clapping itsvalves and expelling water rapidly. Generally,most people eat only the large adductor muscleof the scallop. Scientists advise against eatingthe other parts unless the scallop is harvestedfrom approved shellfishing waters, because theseviscera may contain waterborne contaminantsthat can cause illness.
Life History
A bay scallop has the remarkable ability todevelop both male and female sexual organs;consequently, each scallop produces both eggsand sperm. An interval occurs between therelease of sperm and eggs so that self-fertilization is unlikely to occur; this intervalhelps to prevent inbreeding. Development of thereproductive organs is influenced by the amountof food available and the surrounding watertemperature. If too little food is present, thescallop will direct all its energy toward survivaland will forego reproduction.A change in water temperature may triggerspawning. In Florida, spawning occurs in the fallwhen the temperature drops, although elsewherein their range, bay scallops typically spawnearlier in the year when the temperature rises.Each scallop is capable of producing millions ofeggs at once, but the mortality rate is extremelyhigh. Only one egg out of the millions that areproduced may survive to adulthood.In about 36 hours, the fertilized eggs becometiny larvae that float in the water for about 14days before attaching to the base of seagrassblades. At this time, larvae are transformed intojuvenile scallops, commonly called spat. Thespat gradually move up the seagrass blades, outof the reach of bottom-dwelling predators suchas crabs. But even then, survival is uncertain. As
2
Art after N. J. Blake(University of South FloridaCollege of Marine Science)and J. S. Gutsell (1930).
3
many as 90% of the spat will die within sixweeks of latching on to seagrasses. Those thatdo grow large enough to avoid consumption bypredators will eventually drop off and fall to thebottom, where they will remain the rest of theirlives.Even as adults, scallops live a precariousexistence. A variety of marine creatures,including blue crabs, stone crabs, and whelks,are able to pry the scallop shells open andextract the tender meat within. Sometimes thescallop can escape this fate by swimming away.Occasionally, the algae, tunicates, and otherorganisms that attach to scallop shells mayconceal them from predators—although this isnot a reliable defense.One creature, the pea crab, manages to live inharmony with the bay scallop; this little crabfinds protection within the scallop’s shells.Although the pea crab does steal some food fromthe scallop, it doesn’t take enough to jeopardizethe health of its host.Bay scallops are very sensitive to changes intemperature and salinity. They are alsovulnerable to changes in water quality. Watermade cloudy by floating particles and sediments,referred to as turbidity, can clog the scallop’sgills. The scallop can close its shell to protectthese gills for short periods but is unable to shutout the dirty water for more than about twohours.
Threats to Bay Scallops
Bay scallops were once plentiful throughoutFlorida’s west coast but have virtuallydisappeared in some areas. An extensive scallopfishery existed in Tampa Bay as recently as the1960s, but scallops are rarely found there now.Charlotte Harbor also supported a commercialscallop fishery some 30 years ago. Scientistsbelieve that poor water quality is responsible forthese declines. Currently, the most extensive bayscallop populations are located north and westof the Suwannee River, particularly near thefishing hamlet of Steinhatchee and in St. JosephBay.Once a population is depleted, it may not beable to recover on its own, even with improvedwater quality and restrictions on harvest.Scallops are broadcast spawners, sequentiallyreleasing eggs and sperm to maximizefertilization by other scallops. If no otherscallops are nearby, reproduction may not besuccessful. Consequently, a depleted scalloppopulation may have to rely on neighboringpopulations to replenish its losses.
Fishing Regulations*
Restrictions on scallop harvesting have beenenacted to enhance the natural recovery ofscallop populations. No commercial harvest ofbay scallops is allowed anywhere in the state,and recreational catches are now limited.Before the restrictions were adopted,telephone surveys of scallopers and aerialsurveys of popular harvesting areas wereconducted by the Florida Fish and WildlifeConservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish andWildlife Research Institute. Those surveysrevealed that the intense fishing pressure placedon already depleted scallop populationshindered natural recovery of some stocks. As aresult, all scalloping areas south of theSuwannee River, including Homosassa andCrystal rivers, were closed, and scalloping northof the Suwannee was restricted to the periodfrom July 1 through September 10. Subsequent
Researchers frequently find the outside of stonecrab burrows littered with broken scallop shells.
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*
Fishing regulations may change annually. Contact theFWCDivision of Law Enforcement for information aboutcurrent regulations. Current saltwater fishing regulationscan also be found on the Web site for the FWC Divisionof Marine Fisheries Management, located athttp://MyFWC.com/marine.
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Sea Stats - Bay Scallops
A secretive bivalve that spends most of its short life hiding in underwater grasses, the bay scallop is a prized dinner entree for many Floridians and an important component of the marine ecosystem.
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