Pecten maximus

Pecten maximus is a large edible scallop native to the northeastern Atlantic. It is commonly known as the great scallop or king scallop.

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Scallop: A marine bivalve mollusk with a fan-shaped shell and a row of small eyes along its mantle. Pecten maximus is one of the large scallops, sharing the group’s hinged shell and mantle eyes.
Filter feeding: A feeding method that extracts suspended particles from water passed through specialized structures. Gills trap plankton and organic particles carried through the scallop’s mantle cavity.
Scallop fishery: The harvesting of scallops from wild marine populations for food and commerce. Wild Pecten maximus is commercially harvested in several northeastern Atlantic countries.
Mediterranean scallop: A scallop species native to the Mediterranean Sea and nearby eastern Atlantic waters. It is a regional relative sometimes compared with the larger northeastern Atlantic Pecten maximus.
Overfishing: Fishing that removes organisms faster than populations can replace them. Excessive harvest can reduce adult spawning stock and weaken local Pecten maximus fisheries.
Bivalvia: A class of mollusks whose bodies are enclosed by two hinged shell valves. Its two valves place Pecten maximus among bivalves.
Scallop swimming: A form of locomotion in which a scallop jets water by rapidly clapping its valves. Pecten maximus can escape threats by expelling water as its valves snap shut.
Scallop aquaculture: The cultivation of scallops through controlled production of juveniles and grow-out at sea. Hatchery production and suspended culture can supply markets while reducing reliance on wild stocks.
King scallop: A common food-market name for Pecten maximus, especially in Britain and Ireland. This name is widely used for the same species in fisheries and seafood markets.
Bycatch: Unintended capture of species or sizes during fishing for a target species. Scallop dredging can catch other seabed animals alongside the intended scallops.