Sea scallops pose several critical challenges to commercial shellfish farmers that other popular bivalve species do not. Unlike oysters, clams and mussels, scallops require containment to not only ward off predators but to prevent them from – believe it or not – swimming away.
Furthermore, the typical submersible cages or mesh bags that oyster farmers employ will work for scallops, but the animals don’t thrive when packed tight like oysters. Simply put, scallops like their personal space and will flee to find it if necessary.
Mark Green, a professor of natural sciences at St. Joseph’s College in Maine and co-owner of Basket Island Oyster Co., which operates in the southern part of the state, had previously toyed with farming scallops as well, growing them in bottom cages. It worked well, he said, but not like for oysters, which can tolerate “shoulder to shoulder” stocking densities…
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