Hatchery eyes $106,000 grant Scallopers must raise matching funds to secure conservation money

BEALS ISLAND – Eastport and Stonington scallop fishermen who are working to conserve the fishery are getting a boost from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The private nonprofit conservation organization will give the Beals Island Regional Shellfish Hatchery up to $106,000 to help the fishermen determine the best times and locations for collecting larval scallops and growing them to the stage that they can be used to reseed scallop beds.

The fishermen and staff at the Beals Island hatchery already know that larval scallops – or spat – will settle on spat collection bags when they become sedentary, according to Bill Walton, a professor at the University of Maine at Machias and community liaison for the Beals Island Regional Shellfish Hatchery.

But there are still some unanswered questions about the technique, Walton said.

“Are there better pieces of gear to use or better depths, locations or times to put out the bags?” he asked. “We’re trying to get as many baby scallops as we can so one of the things we want to know is when scallops spawn.”

Walton said the project will use what is referred to as a gonad index to determine when mature scallops are ready to spawn. The index is based on what percentage of the scallop’s weight is taken up by the gonad, he said

Once scallops spawn, the larvae live in the water column for 20 to 40 days, depending on water temperatures, he said.

Then they begin looking for a safe surface, such as eelgrass, on which to settle, Walton said.

The spat bags provide a safe surface and the hope is that the more larval scallops will survive because there is more area on which to settle. The bags provide a safe haven, Walton said.

When the larvae settle on the bags, the metamorphosis into a juvenile scallop begins, he said.

Once the juvenile is about the size of a half-dollar – and that time it takes for that to happen can vary – the scallops drop a thread and settle on the ocean bottom, Walton said.

What the fishermen want to do is take the juveniles from the bag and plant them in protected bottom area so they can enhance existing stocks, he said.

If the project produces enough baby scallops, the next step is reseeding trials – determining which areas are best for reseeding, Walton said.

Walton said there are a lot of fishery questions and hatchery staff are taking what fishermen and resource managers observe and trying to provide more precise information.

The Beals Island Regional Shellfish Hatchery was established 14 years ago to raise seed clams for Down East communities.

“It’s exciting to be expanding the hatchery to other species,” Walton said.

Brian Beal, the University of Maine at Machias professor who started the hatchery, wrote the grant application for the scallop project. Beal, who is on a Fulbright scholarship in Ireland, will oversee the project, Walton said.

Jane Hinson, chairman of the hatchery board, said the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funds require a one-to-one match. The hatchery has a year to raise its $106,000 share and that can be cash or in-kind, she said.

The foundation releases money as the corresponding amount of local share is raised, Hinson said. With a $5,000 match from the Maine Community Foundation already in hand, Hinson said she believes the project can begin in late winter.

“I’m optimistic that we can find the money,” Hinson said.