Clam farming is the process of raising and harvesting clams for food under semi-controlled conditions. It can be a simple operation or a complete process with hatcheries. Clams are induced to spawn in tanks, and the larvae are kept in special tanks until they are ready to be planted. Clam farming varies by region and species, but the basic idea remains the same.
Clam farming is an aquaculture enterprise where clams are raised and harvested for food under semi-controlled conditions. These farms exist in many areas of the world and are usually found in areas where there are shallow bays and estuaries. Many species of clams are farmed, often in areas where they occur naturally. Clam farming can be a simple operation of cultivating wild clam habitats and harvesting them, or a complete process with clam hatcheries and hatcheries.
All clams are bivalve molluscs but show great diversity. They have been harvested for food for thousands of years, and the Native North American peoples of the Pacific Northwest have legends of the first humans who rose from shells to lay claim to the land. Since earliest recorded history, men have been harvesting clams all over the world. Clam farming, however, is a relatively modern business. In its earliest form, clam farming consisted of small farms maintained by families or individuals who often fenced off productive clam beds to keep out predators.
In the first half of the 20th century, clam farmers began breeding clams to produce new varieties to raise on their farms. These techniques evolved over the following decades into the process used by many commercial clam farmers today. Male and female clams are induced to spawn in the tanks by an alternating flow of warm and cool seawater that simulates spring tides. The larvae that hatch from the newly fertilized eggs are kept in special tanks for up to two weeks and fed a diet of microscopic algae.
As the clam larvae grow, they lose their ability to swim and sink to the bottom of the tank. They are collected and moved to other tanks where they grow to about 0.25 to 0.5 inch (8-15 mm) in size. Once they reach this size, these “seed” clams are ready to “plant”. They are planted at the bottom of the ocean in shallow coastal waters, protected by fences, nets. and mesh screens to keep predators out.
For the next two to three years, the clams can grow to market size. During this time, the clam farmer tends his flower beds in much the same way a land farmer tends his fields. Fences and protective netting should be monitored for damage and debris. The new beds are “planted” on a rotational basis so that the clams are available for harvest each year.
Clam farming around the world varies slightly by region and species, but the basic idea remains the same. Some clam species are housed in cages for protection because some species live on the floor itself rather than under the ocean floor. In Micronesia, giant clams, some up to 5 feet (1.4 m) long, are farmed in shallow lagoons on the island and are protected in cages of lined wire or bamboo.
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