Scallops biology, fisheries and management in Argentina

ENRIQUE M. MORSÁN; GASPAR SORIA; JOSE MARIA ORENSANZ; ANA MARÍA PARMA; RICARDO O. AMOROSO

Scallops: Biology, Ecology and Aquaculture, Third Edition

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Año: 2016; p. 1019 - 1046

Two pectinid species are commercially exploited in the southwestern Atlantic: the Tehuelche scallop, Aequipecten tehuelchus (d?Orbigny, 1846) and the Patagonian scallop, Zygochlamys patagonica (King, 1832). The fisheries supported by these two species are radically different from each other. The Tehuelche scallop is the target of small inshore fisheries that operate within the northern Patagonian gulfs, involving dredging and commercial diving. In spite of the small volumes landed at present, these fisheries are of considerable significance for the local economies. The Patagonian scallop fishery is an industrial operation conducted by three to four factory trawlers that process the catch at sea. Catches in the order of 50,000 t yr-1 now rank this fishery among the most important scallop fisheries in the World. In this chapter we review knowledge about these two species and their fisheries. With regards to aquaculture, no new developments have occurred in Argentina since the publication of the second edition of this book, where the subject was covered comprehensively; for that reason we do not include an aquaculture section as part of this chapter.