Ecosystem goods and services from Manila clam culture in Puget Sound: a modelling analysis

C Saurel,A Suhrbier,J Davis,J Cordell,Jg Ferreira,D Cheney,B Dewey

doi:10.3354/aei00109

Abstract

AEI Aquaculture Environment Interactions Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections AEI 5:255-270 (2014) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00109 Ecosystem goods and services from Manila clam culture in Puget Sound: a modelling analysis Camille Saurel1, João G. Ferreira2,*, Dan Cheney3, Andy Suhrbier3, Bill Dewey4, Jonathan Davis5, Jeff Cordell6 1Danish Shellfish Center, DTUAqua, Øroddevej 80, 7900 Nykøbing Mors, Denmark 2Dept. Environmental Science and Engineering, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, New University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Monte de Caparica, Portugal 3Pacific Shellfish Institute, 509 12th Ave SE, Olympia, WA 98501, USA 4Chuckanut Shellfish Inc., 704 E. Hiawatha Blvd., Shelton, WA 98584, USA 5Baywater Inc, 15425 Smoland Lane NE, Bainbridge Island, WA, 98110-1040 USA 6University of Washington, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences (SAFS), Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195-5020, USA *Corresponding author: joao@hoomi.com ABSTRACT: The carrying capacity of a 2.4 ha Manila clam Venerupis philippinarum farm, using mechanised harvesting in North Puget Sound, WA, USA, was determined by means of an ecological model; the results were also scaled to Puget Sound as a whole. An individual Manila clam growth model was developed, calibrated and validated for the commercial farm, together with a macro- algal model to simulate fouling of the predator nets by seaweeds. Both models are based on our previously developed generic frameworks for bivalves (AquaShell) and seaweeds (AquaFrond). For the most part, equations are taken or adapted from the literature and parameterised for the studied site. The individual models were incorporated into the Farm Aquaculture Resource Man- agement (FARM) model to simulate the production cycle, environmental effects and economic optimisation of culture. Both the individual and farm-scale models are built using object-oriented programming. Potential effects of clam production on seaweed growth were analysed and found to be about 10% above background. The FARM model was also used to classify the farm area with respect to its eutrophication status, by applying the Assessment of Estuarine Trophic Status (ASSETS) model. Farm production ranging from 32 to 45 t of clams per year is well reproduced by the model. Harvest yield is very sensitive to mortality, and profitability is very sensitive to seed costs. Manila clam culture provides a potential nutrient credit trading value of over US $41000 per year, over 1000 Population-Equivalents (PEQ, i.e. loading from humans or equivalent loading from agriculture or industry) with respect to eutrophication control. The potential income would add 21% to the annual profit ($194900) from clam sales. A scaling exercise to the whole of Puget Sound is in reasonable agreement with declared production (difference of 16%), and suggests that clams provide a significant ecosystem service, of the order of 90000 PEQ per year. KEY WORDS: Manila clam · Aquaculture · Sustainability · Ecological model · Culture practice · FARM model Full text in pdf format PreviousCite this article as: Saurel C, Ferreira JG, Cheney D, Suhrbier A, Dewey B, Davis J, Cordell J (2014) Ecosystem goods and services from Manila clam culture in Puget Sound: a modelling analysis. Aquacult Environ Interact 5:255-270. https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00109 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AEI Vol. 5, No. 3. Online publication date: October 23, 2014 Print ISSN: 1869-215X; Online ISSN: 1869-7534 Copyright © 2014 Inter-Research.

Highlights

Aquaculture production of high quality proteinbased food is needed to meet the increasing world demand for seafood products (Costa-Pierce 2002, Godfray et al 2010)
On the US West Coast, aquaculture started in the late 1800s (Dumbauld et al 2009); Manila clams Venerupis philippinarum and Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas were introduced in the 1930s (Chew 1989), and at present clam culture occurs mainly in Washington State, with an annual production of approximately 4500 t in 2009, while very little is produced in California (336 t)
The Chuckanut Shellfish farm in Samish Bay, (Washington State, USA), a Puget Sound embayment in the Salish Sea, (Fig. 1) developed innovative techniques and practices about a decade ago, aiming to promote sustainable aquaculture — Manila clams are planted under predator nets, which are mechanically deployed and defouled

Summary

Introduction

Aquaculture production of high quality proteinbased food is needed to meet the increasing world demand for seafood products (Costa-Pierce 2002, Godfray et al 2010). Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world, with a 650% increase in the last 30 yr. Sixty million tonnes per year of aquatic products come from aquaculture, 88% of which originate in Asia (FAO 2012). Aquaculture needs to increase to 80 million tonnes to meet the demand in fish protein from a human population expected to hit 9.3 billion by 2050 (Godfray et al 2010, UN 2010, FAO 2012). Due to unsustainable exploitation of some of the wild stocks and increased demand for aquatic products (Jackson et al 2001, Worm et al 2009, Worm & Branch 2012), aquaculture exceeds the wild fish supply for human food (FAO 2012)

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Conclusion