Great scallop
Common along the coasts of the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean from the Iberian peninsula in the south to Vestfjorden in the north. Found on sandy bottom from just below the intertidal zone and down to depths of more than 100 m. In Norwegian waters they are most common at depths of 5-30 m in the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Nord-Trøndelag and Nordland.
Scallops normally recess in the seabed sediments with their flat valve facing upwards, flush with the sea bottom and covered by sediment.
They are generally found in areas with strong currents, on a variety of seabed types, ranging from fine to coarse gravel, which may or may not be mixed with mud and organic matter. They feed on phytoplankton, bacteria, other micro-organisms and dead organic matter (detritus). Their most important sources of food are phytoplankton and microscopic algae found on…
