Evaluation of sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) spat collection success in two sectors of the Gaspé Peninsula

Description

The sea scallop culture and restocking research program (REPERE I and II) has always considered the supply of juveniles to be key to the development of a viable commercial scallop aquaculture industry. Quebec companies are currently highly dependent on the natural collection of Magdalen Islands sea scallop spat, and the spat production of Quebec's two hatcheries (Pec-Nord on the Lower North Shore and CAMGR of Grande-Rivière in the Gaspé Peninsula) currently supplies less than 10 percent of the present demand. In addition, current and planned sea scallop culture initiatives in the Gaspé Peninsula will significantly increase the demand for spat in the short term. The diversification of natural spat collection sources is therefore essential to the security of supply of existing Quebec firms and to meeting new demand.

The purpose of this project is to gain a better understanding of sea scallop spat collection and to locate better collection sites in the sectors of Gaspé Bay and Tracadigache Bay (between Saint-Omer and Carleton). The project will make it possible to determine the available window for spat collection and to measure the variability in the amount of spat collected as a function of the position of the collectors in the water column. An assessment of the economic potential of collection operations will also be conducted.

Program Name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Year(s)

2001 - 2005

Ecoregion(s)

Atlantic: Gulf of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence Estuary

Principal Investigator(s)

Sylvie Brulotte
Email: sylvie.brulotte@dfo-mpo.gc.ca