FISHERY BULLETIN, VOL. 69. NO. 2 



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OCT DEC FEB APB JUN AUG OCT DEC 



FlGiTJE 9. — Average number of scallop meats per pint 

 by month during the 1967-68 Florida east coast survey. 



FiGUBE 7. — Monthly depth distributions north and south 

 of Cape Kennedy. 



AUG OCT DEC FEB APR JUJ AUG OCT OEC 



r967 1966 



Figure 8. — Depths at which ma.ximum abundance 

 occurred north and south of Cape Kennedy. 



of scallops enables a gradual buildup of bar- 

 nacles on the shell which decreases the number 

 of scallops per bushel. This leads to an over- 

 estimate of meat yield per bushel. 



Meat condition was found to fluctuate season- 

 ally. From December to April meat counts in- 

 creased rapidly (Figure 9) owing to increased 

 flaccidity resulting from physiological changes 



associated with spawning. Though most scal- 

 lops are generally large (50 to 60 mm) at spawn- 

 ing, the meat yield per bushel is much lower 

 than during the fall when scallops are smaller. 



These conditions caused us to discard number 

 of bushels and use total pounds of meat p)er 

 drag as a more meaningful measurement of 

 yield. 



Meat count per pint is an excellent inde.x of 

 fishing productivity when used in conjunction 

 with total pounds. A wide seasonal variation 

 in meat count was caused by differences in meat 

 condition and scalloj) size (Figure 9). From 

 August to December the meat count ])er pint 

 stabilized at 70 to 80. During December through 

 June the count increased due to deterioration 

 of meat firmness and or contribution by a non- 

 spawning population remnant. 



The fall increase in meat count per pint is 

 due to increasingly large numbers of small scal- 

 lops entering the fishery from the shallow bed 

 on tran.sect C. 



Commercially significant yields were taken be- 

 tween September and February with a maxi- 

 mum in October (Figure 10). Yield rapidly 

 decreased after February because of spawning. 

 Yield in the fall of 1968 was api)reciabiy lower 

 than in 1967 owing to the failure of the survey 

 to locate quantities of scallop. The population 

 in Uy to 17 fm at hit 29°10' X, spawned in 1968, 

 was not found in any abundance during the Oc- 



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