The Atlantic sea scallop, Placopecten magellanicus, is becoming a valuable, commercially-farmed product in Maine’s overall aquaculture industry, supplementing the domestic supply of wild-caught scallops. Although most successful aquaculture industries throughout the world are supported by commercial hatcheries, solving problems inherent with husbandry methods during the hatchery phase for sea scallop larvae is a major challenge to overcome. Sea scallops have one of the longest larval periods of any scallop, requiring up to 45 days to successful settlement. This lengthy larval phase has proved to be a challenge, especially when coupled with larval sensitivity to environmental conditions and hatchery expenses. Despite this, related scallop species in other parts of the world with similarly-long larval phases are being cultured in commercial hatcheries. Although there have been some research-scale successes with Atlantic sea scallop hatchery production, repeatable, large-scale seed production has remained elusive and unreliable. No commercial hatchery for Atlantic sea scallops exists in the U.S., or elsewhere.
This project focuses on “cracking the code” of early stage sea scallop culture to improve survival and growth, thereby developing guidelines for successful husbandry that can be replicated reliably to help sustain and grow the sea scallop aquaculture industry in Maine. Three hatcheries are engaged in this effort: Mook Sea Farm, the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center, and the Downeast Institute. Here, we describe findings and lessons learned from three years of this collaborative effort to produce hatchery-reared sea scallops. Completed hatchery experiments that will be discussed include conditioning and spawning trials, larval culture in static versus flowthrough systems, effects of buffered seawater on larval growth and survival, and effects of temperature on larval growth and survival.
To date, Mook Sea Farm has produced successful cohorts three years in a row, with post-settlement nursery culture occurring at the Darling Marine Center. Future plans for hatchery-produced spat include engaging established sea scallop farmers in Maine to estimate growth and performance of these animals in open-water farm sites.