Aquaculture 2025

March 6 - 10, 2025

New Orleans, Louisiana USA

ANALYSIS OF ATLANTIC SEA SCALLOP Placopecten maggelanicus LARVAL DEVELOPMENT UTILIZING SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

Fisher Clark1*, Kyle Brennan2, Emma Perry3, Timothy Bowden2. School of Marine Sciences1, School of Food and Agriculture2, School of Biology and Ecology3, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA 04469.

 



Hatcheries have the potential to reliably produce Atlantic sea scallop Placopecten magellanicus spat, but challenges remain in rearing larvae through critical stages of early development. Current larval husbandry methods rely on light microscopy to observe growth and anatomy, which can often obscure key characteristics of complex and often translucent features of larvae at these stages. This ongoing project explores the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to capture high-resolution images of sea scallop larvae at various developmental stages. Currently images of p1 shell development, early p2 development, and the pediveliger stage sourced from the Downeast Institute in Beals, Maine have been captured. The aim of these micrographs is to provide insights into the shell and organ development of these animals grown in a hatchery setting. Alongside promoting hatchery innovation, these images are intended to have pedagogical value as they can replace illustrated life cycle diagrams currently used in university course curriculums.