The efficiency of Yesso scallop (Mizuhopecten yessoensis) aquaculture in Ussuri Bay (Sea of Japan)

Abstract

Data on cultivation of the Yesso scallop, Mizuhopecten yessoensis, in Ussuri Bay are summarized. The sea-based farms that are established in the shallow waters at depths of 2–18 m differ in the area occupied by their facilities and the hydrodynamic characteristics. A farm with a complex structure (collectors, cages, and bottom cultures) operates in the semi-enclosed Sukhodol Bay. In the other two bays, mostly bottom facilities for ranching scallop and sea cucumber are used. The local scallop broodstocks were formed by introducing juveniles from Posyet Bay. As a result, at least 20 million scallop spat were collected in these three bays from 2000 to 2014. The total yield of market-size scallops was approximately 216 tons, of which over 111 t were obtained in Sukhodol Bay, 70 t in Ilmovaya Bay, and 35 t in Malye Kushi Bay. Analysis showed that the potential for the development of this type of aquaculture in the region was limited. The mean long-term value of the spat density was not higher than 200 spat per collector and did not increase throughout the period of operation of the farms. Thus, farmers had to increase the number of collectors to obtain the required quantity of scallop seed. Some years were unfavorable for harvesting juvenile scallop at all of the farms along the eastern coast of Ussuri Bay. The environmental conditions in these waters are not optimal for Yesso scallop cultivation by the extensive method.