My Wee Scallop Farm

Although it meant going down the engine room hatch and guddling about in emulsified oil and water, the heat exchanger is back on and the gear box oil is changed again. Instead of going fishing I decided that the first run out of the moorings would be to check on the long-line. At this time of year there is still a lot of growth in the water and the line gradually sinks as there is added weight which overcomes the buoyancy which keeps the line below the surface and off the seabed. If it is too near  the surface the scallops suffer from motion sickness and poor salinity. Fresh water for scallops is deadly unlike mussels and oysters. I have to admit I was pretty nervous thinking the surface buoys may have sunk under but was relieved to find them heavy but in sight. Picking up the first buoy I was pleasantly surprised at the huge amount of scallops on the ropes and the pearl nets

I had filled using the creel caught spat earlier in the year. Looks like I will not be bothering with that monotonous task again. Worked my way around 3/4000 queens,

putting them in clean pearl nets and adding a bit of buoyancy to the line. Looking forward to a new source of seafood next year and good to see there is still a lot of health in the local waters. Made me forget the messing about earlier in the day, I had batteries ashore as well due to long lay off, (a varied load on the dinghy this morning)

although it reminded me of the cold and sore backs of years in the 1990s when the scallop farm was going great guns.