A heart-shaped scallop turned up off the Massachusetts coast

While surveying the frosty waters of the North Atlantic, a team of NOAA scientists recently uncovered a heart-shaped sea scallop. A small dent in the top makes the sea creature look like the symbol of love instead of the sea scallop’s typical fan shape. The mollusk was found in the northern edge of Georges Bank, a submarine plateau between Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Nova Scotia, Canada.

According to NOAA, an object likely hit and detained the scallop’s shell somewhere in Georges Bank. Scientists and fishing enthusiasts know the area well for its strong currents and a rocky seafloor. 

“Strong currents can toss scallops around, causing them to hit rocks or other scallops,” NOAA wrote in a Facebook post. “That can lead to shell damage. As the injury heals, the scallop continues to grow and shell malformations like this begin to appear.”

Atlantic sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) are found from the Mid-Atlantic up to the Canadian border. They eat by filtering phytoplankton or other small organisms out of the water column. As filter feeders, they can even improve water quality by removing suspended materials.

Like the clams and oysters they are often served with, scallops are bivalves with two shells. The pair of shells are held together by an adductor muscle, the part of the scallop that Americans typically eat. Their upper shell is typically a reddish-pink or brown color, while the lower is white or cream. According to NOAA, about five to 10 percent are albinos, with all white shells. Sea scallop shells are also special among scallops for their lack of ribbing. Other species like bay scallops have a more bumpy edge, while sea scallops’ are smooth. The smooth shell is potentially an adaptation to helps propel itself faster and farther through the water. 

[ Related: Unsuspecting sea creature has Earth’s hardest teeth. ]

The crew of the New Bedford-based scallop fishing vessel the F/V Selje pulled up the heart shaped mollusk during their annual Atlantic Sea Scallop Dredge Survey. Every year since 1979, NOAA scientists have collected data on the abundance, spatial distribution, and life history of marine species, focusing on sea scallops. The data from these annual reviews are used in Atlantic sea scallop stock assessments and help inform the catch limits for the commercial scallop fishery. Commercial fishing in New England brings in roughly $20 billion per year.

With so many scallops sitting at the bottom of Georges Bank, there could be even more scallop hearts just waiting to be found.  

 

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