International Programs

Overharvesting of catarina scallop, Argopecten ventricosus, in Sea of Cortez waters of off the Baja Peninsula in Mexico has led to development of sustained aquaculture of the species for commercial use. As juveniles grow slowly under laboratory and culture conditions, and suspended apparatuses are costly and demand high maintenance, further study of scallop feeding, ecology, physiology, and other processes could facilitate development of more efficient culture. We were interested in examining the digestive system of catarina juveniles to aid in the development of economically feasible aquaculture practices for the species so that they can continue to be important to the local and export economies of Baja California Sur, Mexico. One aspect of this study involved description of the general characteristics and cell types of each section of the digestive system using classical histology. In addition, we were concentrated in the system through histology and histoenzymology. We examined enzyme production, percent composition of lipids and carbohydrates, and changes in gland characteristics for comparison of lipids and carbohydrates, and changes, both histological and biochemically. We did not find differential enzyme output between fed and starved conditions for the duration of our study, but we were able to describe the general distributions of the enzyme, carbohydrates, and lipids within the juvenile catarina scallop digestive system.