Efficiency of Meat Recovery from Iceland Scallops (Chlamys islandica) and Sea Scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) in the Canadian Offshore Fishery

Abstract

The process of removing adductor muscles (meat) through manual shucking of Iceland scallops and sea scallops at sea results in loss of meat yield to the fishing industry. In the study of Iceland scallops, this loss was negatively correlated with shell size and decreased from about 30% at 60 mm (shell height) to 11% at 90 mm, with an average loss of 23%. Meat recovery was somewhat more efficient from sea scallops, but paradoxically the loss in yield increased slightly with shell size from 8% at 60 mm to 10% at 90 mm. The average loss for commercial-sized sea scallops (~100 mm) was estimated to be 11%. In addition to such factors as experience, speed and shucking habits of the fishermen, relative efficiency of meat extraction from the shells of the two species appears to be related to shell size, tenacity of shell closure and shell morphology (curvature).