Queen scallop
{{Short description|Species of bivalve}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Queen scallop
| image = Aequipecten opercularis MHNT CON 2003 1171 de Roquemaurel.jpg
| image_caption = View of two valves of two Aequipecten opercularis
| genus = Aequipecten
| species = opercularis
| authority = (Linnaeus, 1758)
| synonyms = *Pecten opercularis Linnaeus, 1758
| synonyms_ref = {{cite WoRMS |author=Rosenberg, Gary |year=2011 |title=Pecten opercularis (Linnaeus, 1758) |id=151612 |access-date=2012-02-20}}
}}
The queen scallop (Aequipecten opercularis) is a medium-sized species of scallop, an edible marine bivalve mollusk in the family Pectinidae, the scallops. It is found in the northeast Atlantic and is important in fisheries.
Description
File:Aequipecten opercularis 03.jpg
At about {{convert|7|cm|in|abbr=on|0}} in size, this is one of the smaller scallop species which are commercially exploited. The shell of this species is sometimes quite colourful, and it is also thin and brittle. It has about twenty radiating ribs. The left valve is slightly more convex than the right one. One auricle of the right valve is larger than the other which creates a notch near the hinge used by the modified foot in young scallops to spin byssal threads.Marine Species Identification Portal : Aequipecten opercularis Older scallops are free swimming.
Right and left valve of the same specimen:
File:Aequipecten opercularis 01.jpg|Right valve
File:Aequipecten opercularis 02.jpg|Left valve
Life habits
File:Chlamys opercularis 6 a.jpg
The queen scallop feeds on a diet of plankton, and is commonly found up to {{convert|40|m|ft|abbr=on}} below mean sea level, although it has been known to exist up to {{convert|400|m|ft|abbr=on}} below sea level.
This species is distributed from Norway south to the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean and is common in the North Sea on beds of sand and gravel.Marine Species Identification Portal : Aequipecten opercularis
Fishery around the Isle of Man
The Isle of Man in the British Isles is famous for the queen scallop, or "Manx queenie" as it is known locally. Due to the vagaries of landings over the years, Manx fishermen have worked on technical conservation regulations, in order to ensure that stocks of the queenie have remained robust. These have included restrictions on fishing times, closed seasons, and limitations on the number of dredges permitted. There are also two conservation areas in the island's territorial waters; one has been in place since 1989 and the other was created in 2008; these areas are closed to mobile fishing. These conservation areas are supported by the fishing industry; the fishermen themselves started the initiative to create the Douglas closed area. Data analysis appears to support the viability of these areas, which appear to help ensure that the Manx queenie can be fished sustainably.
The Isle of Man Queenie Festival is an annual, week-long celebration of the Manx queenie, with many restaurants, hotels and pubs serving queen scallops. This festival includes various events including sailing, diving, barbecues, beach days, sea swims, entertainment and plenty of queen scallops.[http://www.queeniefestival.com/ Isle of Man Queenie Festival]. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
Isle of Man queenies have been awarded the European Union Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) stamp.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.marlin.ac.uk/species/Aequipectenopercularis.htm MarLIN info]
{{Commercial molluscs}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q3789454|from2=Q1746507}}