CTSA# 114, Production Economics of Giant Clam (Tridacna species) Culture Systems in the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands

CTSA# 114

Production Economics of Giant Clam (Tridacna species) Culture Systems in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands

PingSun Leung, Ph.D., Yung C. Shang, Ph.D., K. Wanitprapha and Xijun Tian

Opening Paragraph:
The giant clams (Tridacna spp.) of the Pacific are popular for food and other uses. The adductor muscle and mantle are consumed as food in raw, cooked or dried forms. Giant clam shells are sold as souvenir items or used in craftware. The market for giant clams as seed, broodstock and aquarium animals is also growing. The animals’ high value and easy accessibility have threatened wild populations in many parts of the tropical Pacific Ocean; ineffective protective regulations have done little to deter poaching that is continuing their decimation. Mariculture has belatedly been recognized as an important long-term solution to the continued supply of this hreatened species, as it has with many other popular and valuable marine food species.

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