Comparative, Large-Scale Field Trials Along the Maine Coast to Assess Management Options to Enhance Populations of the Commercially Important Softshell Clam,<i>Mya arenaria</i>L.

Beal, Brian F.; Nault, Denis-Marc; Annis, Hannah; Thayer, Pete; Leighton, Heidi; Ellis, Bennett W.

doi:10.2983/035.035.0401

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria L.) represent a form of public aquaculture, because 3-5 million seed clams are produced and distributed annually by a coastal hatchery ( Fig. 7b) to coastal towns to improve their clam flats (Beal et al 2016).…”

Section: Maine Bivalve Aquaculturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The vulnerability to acidified sediments decreases with increasing clam size (Green et al 2009), which may explain why E. leei (the largest clam tested so far) is resilient to sediment surface acidification; however, additional research is needed to determine whether juvenile E. leei are resilient to sediment acidification effects as well. While community-based aquaculture using cultured juvenile soft-shell clams has been ongoing since 1987 (Beal et al 2016;Beal et al 2018), field grow-out trials along the Maine coast are underway to examine the culture potential for other commercial infaunal bivalves such as hard clam, or northern quahog (Mercenaria mercenaria), razor clam (Ensis leei), Atlantic surf clam (Spisula solidissima) and Arctic surf clam (Mactromeris polynyma). E. leei has the potential to be the most resilient to sediment acidification of these species and thus the species of choice to use on grow-out sites with particularly acidic sediments.…”

Section: Acidification Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Green crabs (Fig. 7f) prey upon aquaculture species such as shellfish and destroy critical aquaculture habitat through their foraging behaviour (Miron et al 2005;Bloch et al 2015;Lovely et al 2015;Tan & Beal 2015;MacKenzie et al 2015;Beal et al 2016;Goldstein et al 2017;Hobbs et al 2017;Pickering et al 2017). In contrast to the historical C. maenas invasion, a second invasive crab appeared in southern Maine in 2002, the Asian Shore crab (Hemigrapsus sanguineus De Haan 1853; Jensen et al 2002;Epifanio 2013).…”

Section: Predators Competitors and Nonindigenous Species (Nis Invasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soft‐shell clams ( Mya arenaria L.) have been cultured in Maine since 1987 for public stock enhancement associated with coastal municipalities that manage their wild populations (Beal et al . 2016). Additional marine species are farmed at a small scale (Maine DMR 2020) or are being developed experimentally, but integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) remains rare (see below), despite its recognized environmental benefits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resilience of cold water aquaculture: a review of likely scenarios as climate changes in the Gulf of Maine

Bricknell

Birkel

Brawley

et al. 2020

Reviews in Aquaculture

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Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing development and continuation of sustainable aquaculture in temperate regions. We primarily consider the ecological and physical resilience of aquaculture in the Gulf of Maine (GoM), where a thriving industry includes marine algae, extensive and intensive shellfish aquaculture, and a well-established Atlantic salmon industry, as well as the infrastructure required to support these economically important ventures. The historical record of sea surface temperature in the GoM, estimated from gridded, interpolated in situ measurements, shows considerable interannual and decade-scale variability superimposed on an overall warming trend. Climate model projections of sea surface temperature indicate that the surface waters in the GoM could warm 0.5-3.5°C beyond recent values by the year 2100. This suggests that, while variability will continue, anomalous warmth of marine heatwaves that have been observed in the past decade could become the norm in the GoM ca. 2050, but with the most significant impacts to existing aquaculture along the southernmost region of the coast. We consider adaptations leading to aquacultural resilience despite the effects of warming, larger numbers of harmful nonindigenous species (including pathogens and parasites), acidification, sea-level rise, and more frequent storms and storm surges. Some new species will be needed, but immediate attention to adapt existing species (e.g. preserve/define wild biodiversity, breed for temperature tolerance and incorporate greater husbandry) and aquaculture infrastructure can be successful. We predict that these measures and continued collaboration between industry, stakeholders, government and researchers will lead to sustaining a vibrant working waterfront in the GoM.

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Section: Maine Bivalve Aquaculturementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Acidification Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Predators Competitors and Nonindigenous Species (Nis Invasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Resilience of cold water aquaculture: a review of likely scenarios as climate changes in the Gulf of Maine

Bricknell

Birkel

Brawley

et al. 2020

Reviews in Aquaculture

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“…C. virginica and M. mercenaria are the 2 most commonly cultured bivalves in the northeastern USA, and their culture techniques are well-studied. Clam gardening and other small-scale aquaculture of M. arenaria have historically taken place in locations such as Massachusetts and Maine, but further re search into the culture techniques for M. arenaria are in active development due to the high demand of this species and the declining wild fishery (Beal et al 2016, Hagan & Wilkerson 2018. Commercial-scale S. solidissima aquaculture remains in its infancy, but it has the potential to become an attractive alternate crop for farmers interested in diversifying their farms due to its rapid growth and culture techniques compatible with existing infrastructure (Acquafredda et al 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of species diversity on particle clearance and productivity in farmed bivalves

Acquafredda

Munroe²

2020

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Most bivalve farms are designed as monocultures, yet diverse communities often outperform monocultures in various metrics of ecosystem functioning, including particle clearance and productivity. This study tested the feasibility of bivalve polyculture by examining particle clearance, growth, and survival of 4 species that are economically important to the northeastern USA. Three particle depletion experiments were conducted to determine if more diverse bivalve assemblages had greater clearance rates than those which were less diverse. Different assemblages of Crassostrea virginica, Spisula solidissima, Mercenaria mercenaria, and Mya arenaria were supplied with a single cultured algal species, a mix of 2 cultured algal species, or natural seston. To determine how species richness affects bivalve productivity, growth and survival were monitored in a flow-through mesocosm experiment, which simulated farm conditions. In the cultured algae experiments, more diverse assemblages did not exhibit significantly greater clearance rates than those that were less diverse. Instead, the clearance rates of each species were additive across assemblages. Surprisingly, most assemblages did not display a significant preference for the larger microalgae species, Pavlova lutheri (4.0-6.0 µm), over Nannochloropsis oculata (1.90-3.75 µm). Most notably, when supplied with natural seston, the 4-species polyculture demonstrated a significantly greater tank-level clearance rate for particles <25 µm compared to most monocultures. However, nearly all productivity metrics were not significantly affected by species richness. This work suggests that some degree of complementarity exists among these bivalves, and that in non-food limited systems, these bivalves could be co-cultured without outcompeting one another.

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Functional eradication as a framework for invasive species control

Green

Grosholz

2020

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

116

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Invasive species continue to drive major losses in biodiversity and ecosystem function across the globe. Dealing with the effects of invasion is particularly problematic in marine and freshwater habitats, because the pace at which invaders establish often greatly outstrips the resources available for their eradication. While most managers in North America now focus on ongoing containment and suppression interventions, they often lack quantitative guidance from which to set targets and evaluate success. We propose practical guidelines for identifying management targets for invasions for which eradication is unfeasible, based on achieving “functional” eradication – defined as suppressing invader populations below levels that cause unacceptable ecological effects – within high‐priority locations. We summarize key ecological information needed to inform this strategy, including density–impact functions and recolonization rates. We illustrate the framework's application for setting local suppression targets using three globally invasive species as examples: red lionfish (Pterois spp), European green crab (Carcinus maenas), and rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus). Identifying targets for suppression allows managers to estimate the degree of removal required to mitigate ecological impacts and the management resources needed to achieve sufficient control of an invader.

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Comparative, Large-Scale Field Trials Along the Maine Coast to Assess Management Options to Enhance Populations of the Commercially Important Softshell Clam,Mya arenariaL.

Cited by 12 publications

References 45 publications

Resilience of cold water aquaculture: a review of likely scenarios as climate changes in the Gulf of Maine

Resilience of cold water aquaculture: a review of likely scenarios as climate changes in the Gulf of Maine

Effect of species diversity on particle clearance and productivity in farmed bivalves

Functional eradication as a framework for invasive species control

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