Spatial dynamics of scallops in relation to the Orkney dive fishery

Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 6 No 15

The objective of the project was to determine spatial turnover rates of scallops at two spatial scales: (i) at the scale of individual fishing patches (tens to hundreds of metres), determining immigration rates following fishing; and (ii) at the local fishery scale (1-10 km and greater), determining potential sources of immigration to fishing patches from more distant areas. This report addresses the first of these spatial scales, using depletion fishing experiments coupled with tagging to estimate size-specific population size and site-fidelity to small experimental areas.