Date of Award

Spring 2025

Level of Access Assigned by Author

Open-Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Marine Biology

First Committee Advisor

Damian C. Brady

Second Committee Member

Christopher Davis

Third Committee Member

Paul Rawson

Additional Committee Members

Anne Langston Noll

Abstract

The Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) is becoming a valuable farmed product in Maine’s aquaculture portfolio, supplementing the domestic supply of wild-caught scallops. Although most successful aquaculture industries throughout the world are supported by commercial hatcheries, solving problems inherent with husbandry methods during the hatchery phase for sea scallop larvae is a major barrier to overcome. The sea scallop’s lengthy larval phase, which can last up to 45 days, has proved to be a challenge, especially when coupled with larval sensitivity to environmental conditions and hatchery expenses. Although there have been limited research-scale successes with sea scallop hatchery production, repeatable, large-scale seed production has remained elusive and unreliable. Here, we discuss findings and remaining challenges from four years of larval experiments at three hatcheries: Mook Sea Farm, the University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center, and the Downeast Institute, with Mook Sea Farm producing cohorts of juvenile sea scallops during all four years. Larval growth at Mook Sea Farm increased by 88% from 2021 to 2024, resulting in a reduction in the time to set by nine days. These results suggest that sustained hatchery efforts could result in a shorter larval stage making hatchery production more economically viable. High mortality in the late larval D-stage continues to be the primary barrier to successful production at the Downeast Institute and the Darling Marine Center, with continued research needed to identify major stressors and mitigation strategies.

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