http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/808327813

Species profiles : life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (Mid-Atlantic) : bay scallop

Species profiles are literature summaries of the taxonomy, morphology, range, life history, and environmental requirements of coastal aquatic species. They are prepared to assist in environmental impact assessment. The bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) is a commercially and ecologically important scallop of estuarine and inshore environments, from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to Laguna Madre, texas. They occur at depths from 0.3 to 18 m but are most common in waters less than 2 m deep. They spawn at 1 year of age from April through December, later in southern populations. Water temperature and food supply are important factors for proper gonad development and spawning. Larvae are planktonic, and juveniles settle and attach by byssal threads to suitable substrates; seagrass beds are preferred for settlement. Bay scallops are filter feeders consuming primarily benthic diatoms. Temperature, salinity, water currents, and availability of suitable attachment/settlement substrates are the most important environmental requirements of bay scallops. They require a minimum water temperature of 20 C for spawning, and a minimum of 14 ppt salinity, grow best in currents less than 1 cm/s, and prefer eelgrass to other seagrasses for settlement and attachment during early life stages. Keywords: Feeding; Shellfish; Growth(Physiology); Estuaries.

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