OYSTER, CLAM, SCALLOP, AND ABALONE FISHERIES l&l 



trade the family size 12 and 14 ounce cartons are common in the chilled 

 display cases. Frozen scallops are also marketed in the breaded form, 

 both as the raw and precooked product. 



By-Products. Only about ten per cent of the whole scallop is used for 

 food. The remainder may be salted or frozen for use as fish bait, or used 

 as fertilizer, but is more commonly discarded at sea. The lower shell is 

 used for ornamental purposes and in the manufacture of souvenirs. 



Composition. The chemical composition of scallops averages about as 

 follows : 



The above analysis is on the basis of the whole meat in the scallop, 

 whereas only the adductor muscle is eaten. 



Importance of the Industry. The United States scallop industry for 

 1959 produced 25,800,000 pounds having a value of $12,960,000. About 

 80 per cent of this production was in the New England states. 



The Abalone Fishery 



The name '^abalone" is a Spanish word of unknown origin. The organ- 

 ism is a marine snail having only one shell and a large flexible foot which 

 can attach firmly to a hard, smooth surface. The abalone is confined to 

 the Pacific Coast where it is found from Mexico to Alaska. The Alaskan 

 species is much smaller and the shell darker than the southern variety. 

 The early aboriginal inhabitants of the California coast used the abalones 

 as a staple article of food. The Chinese who came to this coast in the gold 

 rush days recognized the food value of the abalones and engaged in 

 drying and smoking them for export to Hawaii and China. 



The abalone is a univalve, or one-shelled organism, belonging to the 

 genus Haliotis. Six species are found on the Pacific Coast, only three of 

 which are of commercial importance — H. splendens, H. ruffescens, and 

 H. cracherodii. The habitat of the abalone extends from shallow water to 

 a depth of several fathoms. 



Harvesting. Abalones can best be harvested by divers. While some 

 harvesting can be carried on in shallow water by wading, the bulk of 

 the commercial take is by divers working from boats. Divers, using regu- 

 lar diving gear, free the abalones from the rocks by quickly slipping a 

 chisel-like tool beneath the foot of the abalone and suddenly prying it 

 loose. If alerted to danger, the suction foot will adhere so firmly to the 

 rock that it is difficult to dislodge the organism. Abalones, as collected, 

 are placed in a basket suspended from the boat above, which follows the 



