Influence of fouling on the growth and survival of the tropical scallop, Euvola (Pecten) ziczac (L. 1758) in suspended culture

Abstract

To examine the impact of fouling organisms on the growth and survival of the scallop Euvola ziczac L., we maintained 31-34-mm juveniles in pearl nets at 8 m in depth at Turpialito, Golfo de Cariaco, Venezuela. The experiment ran for a 67-d period under four conditions: (1) shells and nets cleaned; (2) shells not cleaned and nets cleaned; (3) shells cleaned and nets not cleaned; and (4) shells and nets not cleaned. The growth of the scallop was least when fouling developed on both the pearl nets and scallop shells. The rate of growth of the shell (height and mass) was strongly affected by organisms colonizing the pearl nets and only weakly affected by organisms colonizing the shells. Fouling organisms on the shells only slightly affected rates of increase of tissue mass, but probably accounted for increased mortality. In developing commercial culture of E. ziczac, strategies need to be developed to limit the adverse effects of fouling on yield.