Environmental DNA (eDNA) can offer a non-invasive, cost-effective and efficient method for monitoring aquaculture and commercial fisheries populations to inform sustainable fisheries management practices. eDNA tools must be thoroughly ground truthed to determine best practices for their appropriate application. While quantitative eDNA assays for sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) have been developed and calibrated for sperm and dockside conditions, we lack quantification rates of scallop eDNA generation and degradation, and calibration for other life stages. Here we applied qPCR methods to quantify the eDNA signals from different life stages and densities of scallops in laboratory settings. We conducted multiple larval dilution experiments to establish a linear relationship between larval numbers and resultant gene copy numbers, establishing an average estimate 3.09 x 107 gene copies individual-1. We also conducted a controlled mesocosm experiment to quantify eDNA shedding rates of scallops and relate these rates to different biomasses of non-spawning scallops in mesocosms. There is a significant relationship between biomass and peak gene copy values as determined by biexponential five parameter (5p) modeling. This is the first experiment to our knowledge that evaluates DNA shedding rates and identifies relationships to biomass and larval concentration in sea scallops. These relationships will help to inform field sampling efforts and interpreting data from natural experiments.