Gonad development and the gametogenic cycle of pen shells, Atrina pectinata, collected from November 2004 to October 2005 in the coastal waters of Jangheung, Jeollanam-do, Korea were investigated histologically. The clams are dioecious. The gonads consist of a number of gametogenic follicles. The sex ratio (Female:male) was 1:1.2. The gonad index (GI) reached a maximum in May and a minimum in July. The condition index (CI) reached a maximum in April and a minimum in June. The gonadosomatic index (GSI), GI and CI all increased with gonad development. The gametogenic cycle of the clam could be divided into five stages: the degenerative/inactive (August to October), early active (November to March), late active (December to April), ripe (May to June) and spent (June to July) stage.