Figure 5. — A spat trap is a nylon mesh bag (top) containing unlaid polyethylene line (bottom right). 

 Young scallops enter the bag as larvae, grow, and are permanently trapped when their size (center) 

 exceeds that of the mesh opening. Spat traps are used to monitor spawning success by season and area. 



observed in April (Wells, Wells, and Gray, 

 1964); in May (Commercial Fisheries Review, 

 1962); and in May, June, and October (Kirby- 

 Smith, 1970). According to Kirby-Smith 

 (1970), the fall occurrence of small scallops in 

 the absence of local spawning may indicate larv- 

 al transport into North Carolina waters. 



In the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, gonads 

 of calico scallops were highly developed in the 

 spring, and spawning was presumably finished 

 by late summer, according to Bullis and Ingle 

 (1959). Small calico scallops," however, were 

 found attached to fouling arrays from September 

 to July (Pequegnat and Pequegnat, 1968). 



'"■ Specimens reported as Aquipecten gibbiis nucleus 

 by Pequegnat and Pequegnat (1968) were later identi- 

 fied as Argopecten gibbiis (Waller, see footnote 5). 



In the eastern Gulf of Mexico, calico scallops 

 about 12 mm in shell height were abundant in 

 late July (Joyce)," indicating that spawning 

 occurred at least in the late spring or early 

 summer. 



Age and Growth 



Rate of growth of the calico scallop probably 

 varies with size, season, and environment. 



Larval development was described from lab- 

 oratory studies (Costello et al, see footnote 9). 

 These authors reported that the length of plank- 

 tonic larval life from fertilization to settlement 



'° Edwin A. Joyce, Jr., Supervisor, Marine Research 

 Laboratory, Florida Department of Natural Resources, 

 St. Petersburg, Fla. 33731. Personal communication, 

 1971. 



