ECOLOGICAL DATA
Distribution: scattered populations along coast; small
concentrations in the Plumper Sound and Trincomali Channel area in Gulf Islands and in
McIntyre Bay on the northeast coast of Queen Charlotte Islands;
Habitat: usually sand or mud bottom; planktonic larvae dispersed by currents;
juveniles attach to rock or shell by byssus; may move to new location by swimming.
Tidal elevation: subtidal, 10 to 200 m depth.
Food: suspension feeder; mainly phytoplankton, detritus and zooplankton.
Predators: sea stars, boring sponges and polychaete worms, fishes and crabs.
GROWTH RATE
Fairly rapid growth in Strait of Georgia, individuals are 1.5
times as large as those of the same age from outer coast; 90 mm at 4 yr and 125 mm at 6
yr. sexually mature at 2 yr, 75 mm in north coast.
FISHERY
Populations too small to support a continuous fishery; proposed
minimum shell height of 100 mm for harvesting; 1986 total scallop commercial harvest was
68 t valued at $0.2 million.
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REFERENCES
Bernard, F.R. 1983. Catalogue of the living bivalvia of the
eastern Pacific Ocean: Bering Strait to Cape Horn. Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 61:
27.
Bourne, N. 1969. Scallop resources of British Columbia. Fish. Res. Board Can. Tech.
Rep. 104: 60 p.
Bourne, N. 1984. Scallop size limits, p. 67-71. In G.S. Jamieson [ed.] 1982
shellfish management advice, Pacific Region. Can. MS Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 1774.
Bourne, N. 1986. Scallops, p. 40-44. In G.S. Jamieson [ed.] Invertebrate and
marine plant fishery resources of British Columbia. Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 91.
Haynes, E.B., and C.R. 1971. Age and growth of the giant Pacific sea scallop, Patinopecten
caurinus, from the Strait of Georgia and outer Washington coast. J. Fish. Res. Board
Can. 28: 1335-1341.
Hennick, D.P. 1970. Reproductive cycle, size at maturity, and sexual composition of
commercially harvested weathervane scallops (Patinopecten caurinus) in Alaska. J.
Fish. Res. Board Can. 27: 2112-2119.
Hodgson, C.A., N. Bourne, and D. Mottershead. 1988. A selected bibliography of scallop
literature. Can. MS Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 1965: 133 p.
Mottet, M.G. 1979. A review of the fishery biology and culture of scallops. Wash. Dep.
Fish. Tech. Rep. 39: 100 p.
Quayle, D.B. 1978. Intertidal bivalves of British Columbia. B.C. Prov. Mus. Handb. 17:
27-28.
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