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<p>We have attempted to re-establish bay scallops to the Virginia, U.S.A. coastal bays and document the dynamics of the restoration effort. Bay scallops (<i>Argopecten irradians</i>) once flourished in the eelgrass (<i>Zostera marina</i>) of the Virginia coastal bays. Eelgrass wasting disease led to declines, and both eelgrass and scallops were completely lost after a 1933 hurricane. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) led a successful eelgrass restoration effort beginning in 1997, with eelgrass beds expanding at 204&#xa0;ha per year since 2012 and covering over 4,800&#xa0;ha in 2025. From 2009 to 2025, bay scallops were brought in from North Carolina, New York, and Florida to the VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory (VIMS ESL) in Wachapreague, VA and used to raise bay scallops for restoration. Progeny were released to the eelgrass beds and held in spawning cages. Annual census data documented low and fluctuating scallop densities from 2012 to 2018. From 2019 to 2025, we have observed continued exponential growth with a current (2024–2025) specific growth rate of µ = 0.468 year<sup>− 1</sup> and a population doubling time of 1.48 years. The carrying capacity of the system for the new Virginia bay scallop population remains unknown with the population still in the exponential growth phase. In 2025 the annual census documented an average density of 0.114 scallops m<sup>− 2</sup> and maximum recorded local density within 50&#xa0;m<sup>− 2</sup> sampling stations of 0.52 scallops m<sup>− 2</sup>. Aggregation within the population was anticipated as necessary for reproductive success and was observed in population data with increasing density.</p>

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Restoration of a Mid-Atlantic Coastal Bay Scallop Population (Argopecten irradians)

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月25日

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  • Richard A. Snyder,
  • Rebecca T. Smith,
  • Darian M. Kelley,
  • Sean Fate,
  • Robert J. Orth,
  • Bowdoin Lusk,
  • Christopher J. Patrick,
  • Stacy A. Krueger-Hadfield,
  • Jan McDowell,
  • Fredrick C. Holbert,
  • John C. Lewis,
  • John P. Richardson,
  • Paige G. Ross,
  • Paige L. Shaffer,
  • Edward G. Smith,
  • David J. Wilcox,
  • Mark W. Luckenbach

摘要

We have attempted to re-establish bay scallops to the Virginia, U.S.A. coastal bays and document the dynamics of the restoration effort. Bay scallops (Argopecten irradians) once flourished in the eelgrass (Zostera marina) of the Virginia coastal bays. Eelgrass wasting disease led to declines, and both eelgrass and scallops were completely lost after a 1933 hurricane. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) led a successful eelgrass restoration effort beginning in 1997, with eelgrass beds expanding at 204 ha per year since 2012 and covering over 4,800 ha in 2025. From 2009 to 2025, bay scallops were brought in from North Carolina, New York, and Florida to the VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory (VIMS ESL) in Wachapreague, VA and used to raise bay scallops for restoration. Progeny were released to the eelgrass beds and held in spawning cages. Annual census data documented low and fluctuating scallop densities from 2012 to 2018. From 2019 to 2025, we have observed continued exponential growth with a current (2024–2025) specific growth rate of µ = 0.468 year− 1 and a population doubling time of 1.48 years. The carrying capacity of the system for the new Virginia bay scallop population remains unknown with the population still in the exponential growth phase. In 2025 the annual census documented an average density of 0.114 scallops m− 2 and maximum recorded local density within 50 m− 2 sampling stations of 0.52 scallops m− 2. Aggregation within the population was anticipated as necessary for reproductive success and was observed in population data with increasing density.