A genetic assessment of bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) restoration efforts in Florida's Gulf of Mexico coastal waters (USA)

Published source details Wilbur A.E., Seyoum S., Bert T.M. & Arnold W.S. (2005) A genetic assessment of bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) restoration efforts in Florida's Gulf of Mexico coastal waters (USA). Conservation Genetics, 6, 111-122.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Transplant/release captive-bred or hatchery-reared species - Transplant/release molluscs Action Link

Transplant/release captive-bred or hatchery-reared species - Transplant/release molluscs

A replicated, before-and-after study in 1997–2001 in six sites of soft seabed in west-central Florida, Gulf of Mexico, USA (Wilbur et al. 2005) found that one year after transplanting hatchery-reared bay scallops Argopecten irradians to three depleted sites, populations of wild (not transplanted) bay scallops at the transplant sites and at three adjacent sites had not become genetically more similar to hatchery-reared scallops. A year after transplant, the frequency of wild bay scallops genetically similar to hatchery-reared ones (as number of haplotypes/sample) did not significantly increase in transplant sites (before: 0–3 in samples of 35–249; after: 0–5 in samples of 63–249), or across the region (transplant sites and adjacent sites combined – before: 5–12 in samples of 160–600; after: 13–23 in samples of 512–991). Between 1998 and 2000, hatchery-reared bay scallops (23,000–63,000/site; 20–30 mm in length) were transplanted in cages (50/site) within seagrass beds to three depleted sites during three transplant events (see study for details). Divers collected wild bay scallops (50–300/site; 40 mm in length) before and a year after each transplantation events at all transplant sites and at three adjacent sites (without transplants but benefitting from spill-over effect). Scallops were genetically assessed and compared to hatchery-reared scallops.

(Summarised by: Anaëlle Lemasson)