A Detailed Guide to Bay Scallop Farming and Processing Techniques
Bay Scallop Farming and Processing Techniques
Scallops belong to the class Bivalvia (lamellibranchs), family Pectinidae. The shell is fan-shaped, with ears (auricles) at the front and back of the umbo, the front ear larger than the rear one. The right valve is relatively flat with about 10 radial ribs; the left valve is convex with as many as more than 30 radial ribs bearing spine-like projections. The shell surface is brown with grayish-white to purplish-red markings. Scallops often live on the shallow seabed where the current is strong and the water is clear, attaching to rocks with byssal threads; when the valves open and close they can produce a crisp clicking sound and can swim slightly. They are produced along the northern coast of our country and are one of the main shellfish species farmed along the northern coast of our country. The species farmed include the domestic Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri) and the bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) from the United States. This article discusses the farming techniques for the bay scallop.
Site Selection. The sea area for scallop farming is generally a nearshore area, with clear seawater, high transparency, a water depth of between 10 m and 20 m, relatively high nutrient salt content in the seawater, abundant phytoplankton, light pollution, heavy chemical ion indices meeting standards, small wind waves, weak underwater currents, and few harmful organisms.
Preparation Work. For the rope rafts used in scallop farming, prepare enough wooden stakes, ropes and buoys in March or April, or in July or August. The rope raft is made of 24-strand flax rope or nylon rope 5 cm in diameter, with a length of 100 m, fixed at both ends with two thick locust-wood stakes 2 m long, with plastic or hollow glass buoys set at the top; every 0.5 m, a special 8-layer to 10-layer scallop cage is tied on with thin nylon rope as an attachment substrate for scallop spat growth, and buoys are attached, with one buoy tied every 20 cm, ensuring the rope raft floats on the water surface. The row spacing exceeds 5 m, making it easy for boats to pass through the farming area. The farming scale can be determined according to actual conditions.
Seeding. Scallop farming allows two seedings per year, with low cost, small risk and easy operation. The first is in May or June, the second in September or October. During the spring tide periods of February to March and August to September each year, seed is placed in the scallop cages, with about 20 seeds per layer, 8 to 10 layers in total; the seeded scallop cages are transported to the farm and carefully tied to the farming ropes. Bay scallops tolerate high temperatures and grow relatively fast; seeded in the first year, they are harvested in the same year.
Grow-out
1. Removing harmful organisms. The harmful organisms of scallops are hermit crabs, starfish, large seaweeds, marine vegetables, etc. One should go out to sea frequently and observe more, at any time pulling up the scallop cages with attached seed and the nylon rope cages to inspect them, and remove the harmful organisms or foreign matter attached to them.
2. Preventing wind and waves. In scallop farming, one should go out to sea frequently and patrol more, to prevent wind, theft and man-made damage.
3. Frequently washing cages and brushing trays. Because scallops have relatively strict requirements for seawater, one should observe carefully in good time, frequently rinse the cages, and remove seaweeds and other foreign matter; when the scallops grow to a certain size, the cages should be turned in good time, so as to facilitate the scallops' intake of fresh seawater and promote their healthy growth.
Harvesting. Scallops grow relatively fast and are harvested in two crops each year, generally harvested in November and December or in February and March. When the scallop shell reaches 5 cm to 8 cm in length, the scallop meat is at its plumpest and most delicious, marking the start of the harvest period. At harvest, special knives are used to cut down the nylon rope rafts with attached scallops, ready for processing or direct sale. If exposed to the air for more than a week, scallops are prone to dying from dehydration.
Processing and Sales. The scallop adductor made from the scallop's adductor muscle is delicious and is a rare marine delicacy, greatly loved by people. The production process is simple and the product sells very well.
1. Making scallop adductors. Rinse the harvested scallops clean with fresh water, make brine with water and salt at a ratio of 100:3, put them into the brine, gently wash them clean, drain off the water, remove impurities, the mantle and the visceral mass, carefully cut off the clean scallop adductor muscle with a knife, put it on a tray and freeze it to make scallop adductors.
2. Fresh-keeping sales. Put the scallop adductors into fresh-keeping food boxes without adding any chemical ingredients, 500 g per box, seal the box with sterilized cling film, and put it on the market for sale. Packed in bags for sale, it is convenient to eat, has a relatively long shelf life, and is easy to store and transport.
Benefit Analysis. The scale of scallop farming can be large or small; at minimum, two 24-horsepower fishing boats should be provided, operated by 2 to 4 people. A 100 m long farming rope can harvest 7.5 tons to 10 tons of scallops per year, with profits reaching 5,000 yuan to over 10,000 yuan. The benefits are very considerable. In recent years, due to environmental factors such as seawater pollution, the scale of scallop farming has declined somewhat and production has decreased somewhat.
Site Selection. The sea area for scallop farming is generally a nearshore area, with clear seawater, high transparency, a water depth of between 10 m and 20 m, relatively high nutrient salt content in the seawater, abundant phytoplankton, light pollution, heavy chemical ion indices meeting standards, small wind waves, weak underwater currents, and few harmful organisms.
Preparation Work. For the rope rafts used in scallop farming, prepare enough wooden stakes, ropes and buoys in March or April, or in July or August. The rope raft is made of 24-strand flax rope or nylon rope 5 cm in diameter, with a length of 100 m, fixed at both ends with two thick locust-wood stakes 2 m long, with plastic or hollow glass buoys set at the top; every 0.5 m, a special 8-layer to 10-layer scallop cage is tied on with thin nylon rope as an attachment substrate for scallop spat growth, and buoys are attached, with one buoy tied every 20 cm, ensuring the rope raft floats on the water surface. The row spacing exceeds 5 m, making it easy for boats to pass through the farming area. The farming scale can be determined according to actual conditions.
Seeding. Scallop farming allows two seedings per year, with low cost, small risk and easy operation. The first is in May or June, the second in September or October. During the spring tide periods of February to March and August to September each year, seed is placed in the scallop cages, with about 20 seeds per layer, 8 to 10 layers in total; the seeded scallop cages are transported to the farm and carefully tied to the farming ropes. Bay scallops tolerate high temperatures and grow relatively fast; seeded in the first year, they are harvested in the same year.
Grow-out
1. Removing harmful organisms. The harmful organisms of scallops are hermit crabs, starfish, large seaweeds, marine vegetables, etc. One should go out to sea frequently and observe more, at any time pulling up the scallop cages with attached seed and the nylon rope cages to inspect them, and remove the harmful organisms or foreign matter attached to them.
2. Preventing wind and waves. In scallop farming, one should go out to sea frequently and patrol more, to prevent wind, theft and man-made damage.
3. Frequently washing cages and brushing trays. Because scallops have relatively strict requirements for seawater, one should observe carefully in good time, frequently rinse the cages, and remove seaweeds and other foreign matter; when the scallops grow to a certain size, the cages should be turned in good time, so as to facilitate the scallops' intake of fresh seawater and promote their healthy growth.
Harvesting. Scallops grow relatively fast and are harvested in two crops each year, generally harvested in November and December or in February and March. When the scallop shell reaches 5 cm to 8 cm in length, the scallop meat is at its plumpest and most delicious, marking the start of the harvest period. At harvest, special knives are used to cut down the nylon rope rafts with attached scallops, ready for processing or direct sale. If exposed to the air for more than a week, scallops are prone to dying from dehydration.
Processing and Sales. The scallop adductor made from the scallop's adductor muscle is delicious and is a rare marine delicacy, greatly loved by people. The production process is simple and the product sells very well.
1. Making scallop adductors. Rinse the harvested scallops clean with fresh water, make brine with water and salt at a ratio of 100:3, put them into the brine, gently wash them clean, drain off the water, remove impurities, the mantle and the visceral mass, carefully cut off the clean scallop adductor muscle with a knife, put it on a tray and freeze it to make scallop adductors.
2. Fresh-keeping sales. Put the scallop adductors into fresh-keeping food boxes without adding any chemical ingredients, 500 g per box, seal the box with sterilized cling film, and put it on the market for sale. Packed in bags for sale, it is convenient to eat, has a relatively long shelf life, and is easy to store and transport.
Benefit Analysis. The scale of scallop farming can be large or small; at minimum, two 24-horsepower fishing boats should be provided, operated by 2 to 4 people. A 100 m long farming rope can harvest 7.5 tons to 10 tons of scallops per year, with profits reaching 5,000 yuan to over 10,000 yuan. The benefits are very considerable. In recent years, due to environmental factors such as seawater pollution, the scale of scallop farming has declined somewhat and production has decreased somewhat.