Aquaculture potential of the basket cockle (Clinocardium nuttallii). Part 1: effects of stocking density on first year grow‐out performance in intertidal and off‐bottom suspended culture |
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| Authors: | Helen Gurney‐Smith Nadia Plamondon Simon Yuan Christopher M Pearce |
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| Institution: | 1. Centre for Shellfish Research, Vancouver Island University, , Nanaimo, BC, Canada;2. Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Vancouver Island University, , Nanaimo, BC, Canada;3. Marine Ecosystems and Aquaculture Division, Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, , Nanaimo, BC, Canada |
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| Abstract: | The basket cockle (Clinocardium nuttallii) is a candidate species for aquaculture in the northeast Pacific. The aim of the current research was to assess the feasibility of C. nuttallii grow‐out, with an emphasis on growth performance and qualities affecting product marketability. In this article, we investigated the combined effects of culture mode (intertidal and off‐bottom suspended culture) and initial stocking density (1500, 3000, 10 500 and 21 000 ind m?2) on C. nuttallii survival and growth during the first year of grow‐out (May through October). In intertidal culture, cockles exhibited low survival and poor growth rates. In suspended culture, survival was consistently high (>96%) at all stocking densities tested; growth and condition parameters had the highest values at 1500 and 3000 ind m?2. The edible portion (meat yield) exceeded 40% of the whole wet weight at all stocking densities, occurrences of fouled and deformed cockles were <1% and no commensal species were observed. Depending on the minimum harvestable size and stocking density chosen, harvestable proportions constituted from 1.1% to 15.2% by October of the first grow‐out year in the suspended system. The effects of stocking density and depth on second year grow‐out performance of C. nuttallii are reported in a companion paper (Dunham et al. in this issue). |
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| Keywords: | aquaculture
Clinocardium nuttallii
cockle culture mode grow‐out stocking density |
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