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. Issue 8 (11th April 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dunham, Anya; Gurney‐Smith, Helen; Plamondon, Nadia; Yuan, Simon; Pearce, Christopher M
• Is Part Of: Aquaculture research. Volume 44:Issue 8(2013:Jul.)
• Page Start: 1236
• Page End: 1253
• Publication Date: 2012-04-11
• Subjects: Aquaculture -- Periodicals; Fishery management -- Periodicals; 639.8
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2109.2012.03125.x
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1355-557X

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="are3125-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>The basket cockle (<italic>Clinocardium nuttallii</italic>) is a candidate species for aquaculture in the northeast Pacific. The aim of the current research was to assess the feasibility of <italic>C. nuttallii</italic> 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<sup>−2</sup>) on <italic>C. nuttallii</italic> 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<sup>−2</sup>. 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 <italic>C. nuttallii</italic> are reported in a companion paper (Dunham <italic>et al</italic>. in this issue).</p> </abstract>