The Cultivation of Scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) in Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract

Scallop culture is a widely practiced aquaculture activity in Japanese waters that involves collecting wild scallop spat and then growing the spat to a marketable size. This study aims to determine how the cultivation system, technology, and transportation are applied in scallop aquaculture in Japan. This research was conducted from December 2022 to June 2023 at a family scallop farming business in Ishikari, Hokkaido, Japan, hereafter referred to as Company X. This research utilizes a descriptive method with literature exploration and direct observation methods with a case study at Company X.Based on the literature study and activities at Company X, the cultivation media used and transportation are important parts of the scallop culture activities. The cultivation media used at Company X include onion mesh bags, Pearl nets, and lantern nets. The current transportation technology of scallops is carried out in two areas, namely sea, and land, using the open dry system transportation method, exposure method, and oxygen method. Marine transportation uses Hydraulic Cranes for Shipboard Use (Marine Cranes) technology applied to two specialized vessels of 9.7 and 12 GT with truck-mounted crane classification. Land transportation for the delivery of young scallops uses plastic container baskets covered with wet rice sacks to prevent dryness and the scallops inside the baskets from biting each other. After that, the scallops are transported by freezer truck, while land transportation for shipping adult scallops uses a freezer truck filled with oxygenated seawater. The size of the wind blowing at sea, the time of pickup - delivery, and the number of scallops needed are important factors in transportation activities.