Evidence for winter-spring spawning of the scallop Pecten alba (Tate) in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria

Abstract

Gonadal reproductive status of P. alba from two locations within Port Phillip Bay (38ºS.,145ºE.) was studied for 25 months from March 1983. Samples were collected monthly by divers and analysed for reproductive status. Although the scallops were spent of gametes during summer and showed development of gonads throughout autumn, phases of winter spawning were observed before a major late spring release. Spawning of P. alba and other scallop species in the Southern Hemisphere is a winter-spring phenomenon, rather than the summer-autumn phenomenon common among scallops of the Northern Hemisphere.