While the permitting process was playing itself out, the Shellfish Commission undertook the task of building the cages that would hold the adult scallops on the bottom at the project site. Steve Plant, owner of Stonington-based Connecticut Cultured Oysters, conducted a workshop in March to train volunteers in bottom cage construction. Once trained, commission members and students made several dozen cages over the course of a Saturday morning.
Once the permits were in hand, the commission deployed marker buoys on the site in mid May to clearly show the corners of the scallops enhancement project area, and to warn others users of the area that underwater gear is present. The site was now ready to receive the adult scallops.
After the pathological testing was completed in late May and the commission was given the "green light" to proceed, 2,500 adult scallops were obtained from Martha's Vineyard. Upon receipt in early July the adult scallops were hung in lantern nets using dock space in Stonington Borough provided by the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club. It was critical to keep the adult scallops in the water during the time needed to prepare for their transplant to the project site; the less stress caused on the adults scallops the better their potential for a productive spawning event.
In mid-July the adult scallops were removed from the lantern nets at the dock and stocked in the bottom cages at a density of approximately 100 scallops per cage. Once bags were filled with scallops they were kept moist under wet toweling and kept in the shade as best as was possible. Individual cages were connected in series of 10, which would be deployed in as straight a line as possible at the project site. For the 2008 project year, 3 lines of 10 bottom cages each were deployed at the study site. Since only 2,500 adults were available, some cages were stocked at densities of 75 or 50 adults. The reduced density of scallops in some cages provided a "mini" experiment that would provide valuable information on stocking density impacts on scallop survival.
Once all the cages were fully stocked with scallops they were loaded onto boats for the short ride from Stonington Borough to the project site at Barn Island. On site, students set the three lines of bottom cages within the area designated by the marker buoys. Once ensured that the cages were not fouled on one another, they were left alone for most all of the summer, with only occasional checks to be sure they had not moved in the wind and current.
Spat bags were deployed in mid-August, suspended about a foot below the surface from lines containing lobster pot buoys placed in a near continuous row. Spat bag lines were placed on all four sides of the area containing the bottom cages. The intent was to intercept some of the spat regardless of their direction of movement. The spat bags were checked on a weekly basis to assess degree of biofouling and to see if any scallop spat had settled into the mesh inside the bags. After the mesh was checked for presence of spat, the bag and mesh was cleaned as good as was feasible and returned to the water.
For the 2008
project season, Jon Mitchell, oceanology teacher at