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A Scallop’s Life

Suspended in the water, floating in unseen hordes, shellfish larvae are transported by wind and tidal currents until they settle and grow into adults. But this critical stage in the lifecycle remains largely a mystery. WHOI researchers are working to fill in the blanks between the larval and adult stages of shellfish, such as scallops. Such fundamental missing information is essential for efforts to sustain and restore natural populations.

(Illustration by Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)