PREVENTING PREDATION IN MOLLUSCAN MARICULTURE: AN OVERVIEW

Abstract

ABSTRACTEven after many decades of study, predation remains one of the major hurdles to successful field mariculture of molluscs in many areas of the world. Traditional predator control methods include physical barriers (such as trays and enclosures), off‐bottom culture, chemical poisons, removal and trapping, dredges, mops, X‐ray sterilization, and biological means. Most of these methods have produced only limited success, though two or more methods in combination (such as enclosures and active predator removal) are effective hut are expensive. Examples of recent attempts at predator control include protective covers for Manila clams, floating cages for queen conchs, substrate modifications for hard clams, suspension systems for oysters and scallops, and research on development of predator attractants. The ecological concepts of “Size Selective Predation,” “Optimal Patch Use,” “Prey Switching,” “Ingestive Conditioning,” and “Search Image Formation” and their relevance to effective predator control in molluscan field culture are discussed.