INFLUENCE OF SEDIMENT DISTURBANCE AND WATER-FLOW ON THE GROWTH OF THE SOFT-SHELL CLAM, MYA-ARENARIA L

In the absence of sediment disturbance, growth of soft-tissue was directly proportional to both free-stream and shear velocity. Increased organic seston flux linked higher water flow to higher growth. In all treatments, maximum growth rates were observed with daily disturbance of the top centimeter of sediment. Amount of organic material suspended during sediment disturbance was insufficient to account for the increased growth in clams subjected to high levels of disturbance. Sediment disturbance associated with intense clam harvesting, and changes in local hydrography resulting from coastal development, may be responsible for some of the unexplained growth variation in commercial clam stocks. -from Author