Growth of the queen scallop, <i>Chlamys opercularis,</i> from the Clyde Sea area

Abstract

The growth of Chlamys opercularis from three sites in the Firth of Clyde has been studied. A relationship exists between the different dimensions of the shell, but, because growth is allometric, these relationships do not remain constant throughout the life of the animal. In contrast to the rectilinear relationship between the shell dimensions, the cavity volume and the weight of the shell and the weight of the soft tissues increases exponentially with increasing shell height. The growth rings on the shell of Chlamys were shown to be truly annual and are deposited primarily during the period from April to June, providing a convenient and reasonably accurate technique for assessing the age of individual animals. The size range of the height of the first ring was quite large, with a bimodal frequency distribution. The bimodality is lost in the second and subsequent years due to differential rates of growth between large and small first-year animals. The rate of growth of Chlamys from the Clyde Sea area was determined from values for the mean height of each annual ring, and has been compared to the rates shown by Chlamys from other sites around the British Isles.