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The work was made possible by studying an animal with a comparatively simple locomotor system, in this case, the locomotor system of the jet-propelled swimming scallop. Animal locomotion studies on commercially important species can provide useful information for fisheries managers. For example, information from the present studies can be used to predict swimming ability of the scallops as a function of size, and water temperature. This predictive ability will provide a powerful tool for setting harvest schedules, and in the design of bottom gears. The latter will be manifest in the ability to predict how far and how fast the animals can swim to avoid capture from bottom gears.