Abstract-With the southern NewEngland lobster fishery in distress, lobster fishermen have focused more effort toward harvesting channeled whelk (Busycotypus canaliculatus). However, minimal research has been conducted on the life history and growth rates of channeled whelk. Melongenid whelks generally grow slowly and mature late in life, a characteristic that can make them vulnerable to overfishing as fishing pressure increases. We sampled channeled whelk from Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, in August 2010 and in July 2011, studied their gonad development by histology, and aged them by examining opercula. Males had a slower growth rate and a lower maximum size than females. Male whelk reached 50% maturity (SM 50 ) at 115.5 mm shell length (SL) and at the age of 6.9 years. Female whelk reached SM 50 at 155.3 mm SL and at the age of 8.6 years. With a minimum size limit of 69.9 mm (2.75 in) in shell width, males entered the fishery at 7.5 years, a few months after SM 50 , but females entered the fishery at 6.3 years, approximately 2 years before SM 50 . Increased fishing pressure combined with slow growth rates and the inability to reproduce before being harvested can easily constrain the long-term viability of the channeled whelk fishery in Massachusetts.

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With the southern New England lobster fishery in distress, lobster fishers have focused more effort toward harvesting channeled whelks Busycotypus canaliculatus. Melongenid whelks generally grow slowly and mature late in life—characteristics that can make them vulnerable to overfishing as exploitation increases. However, minimal research has been conducted on the life history and growth rates of channeled whelks. We captured, marked, and released more than 8,700 whelks in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, during 2010 and 2011; 314 of the marked individuals were recovered after 1 or 2 years at liberty. Whelks that were recaptured in 2011 were measured and rereleased without determining sex, whereas whelks that were recovered in 2012 were dissected for sex determination. The unsexed animals were later classified by linear discriminant analysis using growth and morphometric variables. For both male and female whelks, growth increments decreased significantly with increasing size. Size‐specific growth rates were significantly greater for females than for males, and females reached larger maximum sizes than males. Furthermore, rates of growth in shell length declined significantly with increasing time at liberty, whereas growth in shell width did not; this result may have been due to differential rates of shell damage versus repair. Increased fishing pressure on whelks—combined with their slow growth rates and inability to reproduce before being harvested—can easily constrain the long‐term viability of the channeled whelk fishery in Massachusetts. Therefore, current whelk fishery management practices should be revised. Received April 3, 2015; accepted May 23, 2016