Species and Habitat Outlines

Weathervane Scallop
TAXONOMY

Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Bivalvia
Order: Ostreoida
Family: Pectinidae

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

For more information on weathervane scallop habitat utilization and life cycles - click here

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