Chapter 27 Scallop fishery and aquaculture in Chile

Abstract

This chapter describes the scallop species in Chile with commercial value, development and collapse of the fisheries. The start of scallop aquaculture with a brief history of its development, its production methods, and an example of recovery of an overfished bed is also discussed. Three scallop species are of commercial interest in Chile: Argopecten purpuratus; Zygochlamys patagonica; and Chlamys vitrea. A. purpuratus has a higher commercial value and it is the only scallop being intensively cultivated in bays located in Northern Chile. Z. patagonica and C. vitrea, are only fished from natural populations in Southern Chile. The Z. patagonica scallop lives in protected bays, inlets, and channels between 2 to 40 meters deep, as well as in depths over 100 m on the Argentinean platform. This species has separate sexes, without sexual dimorphism. A. purpuratus is a fast growing and productive species. The scallop hatchery culture involves broodstock conditioning, spawning, fertilization, larval culture, settlement and metamorphosis and seed growth up to commercial size. The culture technology used in Chile is based on the Japanese system developed in the 1960's and it is basically a suspended culture on floating structures called “long-lines.”