Animal
Bay scallop
Argopecten irradians
A native shallow-water bivalve of Atlantic-coast estuaries — distinctive ribbed scallop-shell shape with bright blue eye-spots along the mantle edge. Lives in eelgrass meadows and shallow bay bottoms, swimming by clapping shells together when threatened. Long Island and Peconic Bay populations historically supported a major commercial fishery; populations crashed in the 1980s due to brown-tide algal blooms and have not fully recovered. Persists in NY Harbor waters around Staten Island in reduced numbers; a key restoration target.
Scientific
Argopecten irradians is a 2–3 inch bivalve mollusk native to Atlantic estuaries from [[barre-ma|Massachusetts]] to Florida. Distinctive ribbed scallop-shell with brilliant blue eye-spots along the mantle edge — yes, the species has actual eyes (though simple ones, capable of detecting motion and light). Lives in shallow eelgrass beds and bay-bottom habitat.
Swims by rapidly clapping shells together when threatened — bay scallops can travel several feet at a burst. Filter feeders; feed on phytoplankton and small particles.
Population dynamics in the [[beacon-ny|New York]] region: historically supported a major commercial fishery (Peconic Bay, Long Island Sound). Brown-tide algal blooms (genus Aureococcus) in 1985 and subsequent years collapsed the populations; the fishery has not fully recovered. The species’ decline is one of the [[beacon-ny|New York]] region’s most-significant marine-population events of the late 20th century.
On Staten Island
Persists in shallow waters around the borough at greatly reduced numbers from historical levels. Restoration efforts at the [[beacon-ny|New York]]/New Jersey Harbor scale include eelgrass restoration (the species’ habitat) and direct scallop-seed planting in some sites.
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Substrate of: [[new-york-harbor-estuary]]
- Member of: [[animal]]
- Contained by: [[staten-island]]
Sources
- Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission bay scallop records
- [[beacon-ny|New York]] State DEC bay scallop monitoring
- Long-term Peconic Bay brown-tide and scallop-collapse literature
Rooted in life.
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