Roughly half of the state’s 9000+ fishermen are lobstermen, the value of the lobster catch accounts for nearly 80% of the statewide landings value, and in the eastern portion of the state, the reliance on lobster is closer to 90% (Anonymous, 2018). Outreach materials, which include the major findings of this work, should be helpful and of interest as more producers attempt to raise sea scallops through aquaculture, and as the scientific and regulatory communities grow to meet the opportunities and needs of this new sector.ĭiversification is the biggest need for Maine’s seafood harvesting community. The project proved to be an excellent platform for both collaborative research, as well as hands-on outreach for other producers, students, scientists and other members of the interested public. Ear-hanging lines may do best with some weight (0.5-1.0kg) at the bottom each line, to keep them from abrading against one another or even wrapping around the headline. When working with scallops, care should be taken to limit air exposure: work under shade, and keep the scallops in water to the extent practicable. Fouling is a constraint to growth of scallops, and regular cleaning will help with better shell growth, meat weights, etc. The optimal height of collectors in the water column will vary from site to site growers are advised to test different heights to learn more about their location. Flat-panel collector material may be more efficient than comparable material that arrives as a tube. Spat collection can be done effectively with less expensive materials than have been used in recent years. Some conclusions or observations for future consideration: ![]() With this tool, growers can keep track of the important inputs and outputs, and begin to arrive at a conclusion regarding economic viability. Fouling control is important for good growth and survival.Īlthough this project was not able to make precise measurements of profitability, it did result in the development of a dynamic cash-flow statement. Shell heights can be expected to grow at better than 0.06mm/day in cold weather, and in excess of 0.10mm/day in warmer months. During spat tests we also found that collectors highest in the water column had highest catches of scallops, although settlement of conspecifics such as mussels were also highest.ĭuring tests of ear-hanging culture, the single-ear ( itimai-ake) method is better than drilling through both valves of the scallop ( nimai-ake). Over two seasons of tests, we found that a 1/4" square-mesh agricultural netting (OV-7822, Industrial Netting, Minneapolis, MN) performed at least as well as the industry standard, and much more economically. ![]() In this project, the industry standard material - called Netron - was compared to several alternatives. When this occurs, growers might expect well over 2,000 scallops per collector, and this project provided estimates of 13-19 thousand spat per collector. Spat production can be made more effective and economical using traditional agriculture netting, when the netting provides sufficient surface area and physical stability to keep the spat collector inflated. This project examined two areas of scallop aquaculture: seed/spat production and growout using the ear-hanging method.
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