How To Start A Scallop Farm

How To Start A Scallop Farm

How To Farm Raise Scallops

Scallops are very sensitive to extremes in temperature and humidity. Make sure that your work flow minimizes air exposure and temperature swings; water baths and sun shading are helpful, especially on very hot, cold, or windy days. Unlike oysters, scallops will not tolerate fresh water rinses. Bio fouling control can be accomplished through physical removal such as scraping or pressure washing, or by air-drying the equipment.

Also Read: How To Start A Scallop Farming

Longline design and materials

Longlines vary in length and materials but have some elements in common. Scallop longlines generally require 60 feet (18m) of depth or greater to function properly, and to accommodate nets and lines.

Moorings and mooring lines

Anchors for longlines include screw-type anchors, dead weights, and modified kedge-type anchors. Screw/helical anchors are easy to deploy, but should only be used where the sediment will definitely support the long line, as failure will lead to lost gear. Deadweight such as granite blocks may be more expensive, but will provide a measure of security as long as they are properly deployed and matched to the holding power needed. A modification of kedge anchors is used commonly in Japan and has been tried in Maine with some success. They must be matched well to holding power needed and sediment, and the long line may move or tangle if the anchors fail in heavy weather.

Also Read: Freshwater scallop farming Economic considerations 

Mooring lines are set commonly at 3:1 to 5:1 scope, with appropriate shackles and chain at the anchor end to provide sea keeping and to dampen shock loads.

Longline (or backline)

Longlines are commonly 24mm (1") in diameter and made of polypropylene, which has relatively low stretch. Longlines are submerged typically 10 –25'below the surface to allow vessel traffic over the line and to place the culture gear below the zone of heaviest fouling.

Tension buoys

Tension buoys are attached where the mooring line joins the long line ends. Hard plastic, submersible buoys of 75lbs (34kg) buoyancy are commonly used, sometimes in groups of three or more. Tension buoys help maintain the shape of the long line and can help identify the end of the long line, although they are submerged most of the time.

Marker buoys

Marker buoys are placed periodically along the longline. Their purpose is somewhat to help maintain a level profile in the longline, but more to act as an indicator of when to add more compensator buoys, as the crop grows and becomes fouled over time. The marker buoys also alert mariners to the presence of the longline, and can be used to raise specific portions of thelong line when needed.

Compensation buoys

Compensation buoys maintain proper buoyancy, and a horizontal profile along the line. There is a balance to be struck; too much flotation will bring the entire longline to the surface where it can present a navigation hazard, and not enough flotation will result in culture gear that might rest on the bottom, where it will abrade and allow predators to climb up the lines.

Also Read: Constructing a scallop farm for beginners 

Longline weights

As a balance to buoyancy compensation, weighted drop lines to the seabed are often used. Weights might be concrete, stone, or even bags filled with sand, and might range from 50 to 200 lbs.

Site selection

Site selection for any species is a critical decision, and the factors that influence this decision are complex. However, some of the basics that relate to scallop farming include the following: correct temperature and salinity; feed availability; ability to access the site; proper flow and exposure to extreme conditions; depth; presence of competing uses, such as fishing; seabed composition and ability of moorings to remaining place; type, degree, and seasonality of fouling; and frequency and degree of harmful algal blooms in the area. Growers may find it helpful to list out the various considerations and take notes about how one site compares to another.

Freshwater Scallop Farming Economic Considerations

As with any business, good recordkeeping is key to financial success. Growers should prepare a business plan and cash flow projections as a necessary part of growing the farm. It is especially important to keep detailed notes; this documentation of capital and labor costs, husbandry observations, growth and mortality, and any potential returns will be indispensable raw material for a well thought out business plan. An all-weather notebook and a pencil are some of your greatest and most valuable resources!

A natural complement to the business plan is the cash flow statement, which can be created for a month, a year, or several years at a time. The cash flow statement will give the you chance to document revenue and expenses, and all growers to make reasonable guesses as to how revenue and expenses will change in the future.

Also Read: How do scallops reproduce 

Scallop products, bio toxins & public health

US consumers are generally accustomed to eating only the adductor muscle of the scallop (scallop ‘meat’), and this tissue usually accounts for about 15% of the total wet weight. Consumers elsewhere are more used to eating both the adductor muscle and the roe, or even the entire scallop. Greater utilization of the scallop helps to diversify products from scallops, and may bring greater return to the farmer. However, there are critical issues with respect to public health and seafood safety that cannot be ignored when considering these options.

Under no circumstances should scallop tissues other than the muscle be consumed, unless it has been part of an approved testing process overseen by appropriate authorities. Phyco toxins such as saxitoxin and domoic acid can build in scallop tissues to dangerous or deadly levels. 

Also Read: How do scallops grow naturally 

Moreover, scallops can hold such toxins for weeks or months, and can be toxic even in the absence of a harmful algal bloom. Without testing, it is impossible to tell if scallop tissues are safe to eat. It is absolutely critical that producers intending to explore roe-on or whole scallop markets be in close contact with their state regulatory agency, and understands requirements and limits for such activity.

You May Also Want To Raise: 

Article Related Search Tags: How To Start A Scallop Farm, scallop farming japan, what are farmed scallops fed, bay scallop farming, scallop fishing, scallop hatchery, freshwater scallops, scallops environmental impact, scallop larvae, Scallop aquaculture, growing scallops at home, scallop farming ireland