How to Raise Live Scallops

Seafood lovers enjoy eating scallops, either raw or cooked. Scallops, however, seem to taste best when they're fresh rather than frozen. Finding fresh scallops can be challenging, though, especially if you live far from coastal areas where scallops are found. Scallops can be raised on a farm with sea water pools, but they typically must be moved to the ocean to finish growing. The depth required is difficult to replicate in inland locations.

Things You'll Need

  • Large tanks
  • Fine sand
  • Seawater
  • Algae
  • Spats
  • Ocean access
  • Lantern nets
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Instructions

    • 1

      Add a layer of fine sand on the bottom of the large scallop tanks. Fill the tanks with seawater.

    • 2

      Introduce algae into the water. The scallops eat the algae as they grow.

    • 3

      Place spats into the environment. Spats, which are baby scallops without shells, are no bigger than plankton.

    • 4

      Gather the small scallops once they reach about one-half-inch wide and have developed their shells.

    • 5

      Arrange the scallops into lantern nets with about 30 to 60 scallops per compartment. Submerge the nets to a depth of at least 42 feet.

    • 6

      Monitor the scallops for growth. Once they reach about 2 1/2 inches, separate them into additional lantern nets so each compartment contains only 10 to 15 scallops.