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Population Dynamics of the Marine Clam, Mya arenaria 1
Author(s) -
AYERS JOHN C.
Publication year - 1956
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1956.1.1.0026
Subject(s) - estuary , flushing , biology , population , larva , fishery , ecology , marine invertebrates , vital rates , oceanography , population growth , demography , geology , sociology , endocrinology
From present spawning and survival data, it is calculated that stable local populations of Mya require an average annual production, per spawning pair, of 40 spat which both survive and remain in the spawning area. The sizes of larva populations which survive and remain in the area under various flushing rates and mortalities are calculated. From this and the 40 spat/pair/year level the suitability of estuaries or embayments as sites for Mya cultivation may be judged when local flushing rates and mortality coefficients are known. A formula for estimating the harvestable fraction of the existing population under local flushing rate and mortality conditions has been derived. The method, combined with the local oceanography, adequately explains the anomalous history of Mya production in the harbor of Barnstable, Massachusetts.