On-growing investigations for the optimal commercialization of the indigenous basket cockle (Clinocardium nuttallii) Phase III

Description

The basket cockle, Clinocardium nuttallii, occurs on the Pacific coast of North America from San Diego to the Bering Sea, and a disjunctive population has been reported in Hokkaido, Japan. It occurs around the coast of British Columbia on sandy to muddy shores, but it is not generally found in high abundance. In BC there is significant commercial interest in basket cockles as an aquaculture species as a result of their relatively fast growth rate, ability to utilize different substrates, adaptation to the cold waters of BC and importance as a preferred First Nations food group. In order to determine the commercial potential of the basket cockle as an aquaculture species in different habitats around BC, and thereby encourage intertidal and subtidal aquaculture operations in more remote locations, work must be undertaken to investigate substrata preference and post-settlement behavior, growth and survival to provide recommendations for on-growing husbandry methods. This study aims to determine optimal on-growing conditions of C. nuttallii to enable the successful commercialization of a new aquaculture species in BC.

Program Name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Year(s)

2008 - 2009

Ecoregion(s)

Pacific: Vancouver Island West Coast

Principal Investigator(s)

Chris Pearce
Email: Chris.Pearce@dfo-mpo.gc.ca