Sea scallops grow wild in the cold waters of the
North Atlantic while bay scallops grow in shallow bays, either wild or farm
raised.
Scallops have a delicate flavor and texture which compliments a variety of cooking
methods.
Scallops are characterized by having two types of
meat in one shell: the adductor muscle, called "scallop" which is white
and meaty, and the roe, called "coral", which is red or white and
soft. In most of North America, only the adductor muscle of sea
scallops are eaten; the entire scallop is traditionally eaten in many
cultures.
On the east coast of the United States, over the
last 100 years, the populations of bay scallops have greatly diminished.
This decrease is due to several factors, but probably is mostly due to
reduction in sea grasses due to increased coastal development and concomitant nutrient
runoff.
Another possible factor is reduction of sharks from
overfishing. A variety of sharks used to feed on rays, which are a main
predator of bay scallops. With the shark population reduced, in some
places almost eliminated, the rays have been free to dine on scallops to
the point of greatly decreasing their numbers. By contrast, the Atlantic
sea scallop is at historically high levels of abundance after recovery from
overfishing.
Scallops have between 50 and 200 simple eyes strung
around the edges of their mantles like a string of beads. Their eyes
contain two retina types, one responding to light and the other to
abrupt darkness, such as the shadow of a nearby predator. They cannot
resolve shapes, but can detect changing patterns of light and
motion.
