


Unlike other species which are bound to some substrate either by burrowing or attachment, adult bay scallops are free-living and extremely motile.This is a short-lived species, with a life span of only 12 to 26 months..The foot fails to develop further, becoming a vestigial organ in the adults.The juveniles will remain attached until they reach a size of 20 – 30 mm (¾ – 1 ¼ in), when they drop to the bottom.The foot, along with byssal threads, allows the juveniles to crawl up the grass blades.During metamorphosis, a foot and gills develop, the swimming organ disappears, and the tiny scallops attach to seagrasses or other objects.After about 2 weeks, the larvae drop out of the water column and change into juvenile scallops, a process called metamorphosis.Mortality is very high during this stage of their life history. Water currents distribute the larvae around the estuary.The fertilized eggs develop into swimming larvae, complete with tiny shells.During its spawning period, a one-year old scallop produces an average of 16 million eggs.Eggs are released into the water column, where they are fertilized.Spawning in Maryland occurs during May/June, with a second spawning in September.Each ring or visible line markings on a scallop’s shell represents a year of growth. Scallops are hermaphrodites, simultaneously having both male and female sex organs. There are more than 300 species of scallops, all edible, but the two prevailing types in the Maine and chilly North Atlantic waters are sea scallops, which can grow as much as eight inches in diameter and bay scallops, which grow to about three inches.
