Ponderous Ark Aquaculture in Florida
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The Potential of Blood Ark and Ponderous Ark Aquaculture in Florida Results of Spawning, Larval Rearing, Nursery and Growout Trials Leslie N. Sturmer, Jose M. Nuñez, R. LeRoy Creswell, and Shirley M. Baker TP-169 SEPTEMBER 2009 Cover illustration: Ann Meyers This research was supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under USDA Special Research Grant No. 2002-3445-11946; and by the National Sea Grant College Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) under NOAA Grant No. NA06 OAR-4170014. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of these organizations. Additional copies are available by contacting: Shellfish Aquaculture Extension Program Florida Sea Grant University of Florida University of Florida PO Box 89 PO Box 110409 Cedar Key, FL 32625-0089 Gainesville, FL 32622-0409 (352)543-5057 (352) 392-2801 www.flseagrant.org TP 169 September 2009 The Potential of Blood Ark (Anadara ovalis) and Ponderous Ark (Noetia ponderosa) Aquaculture in Florida Results of Spawning, Larval Rearing, Nursery, and Growout Trials Leslie N. Sturmer Shellfish Aquaculture Extension Program Cooperative Extension Service Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida Cedar Key Jose M. Nuñez The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience University of Florida St. Augustine R. LeRoy Creswell Florida Sea Grant College Program Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida Fort Pierce Shirley M. Baker Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program School of Forest Resources and Conservation Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida Gainesville September 2009 TP 169 ii Preface In November 1999, a workshop on New Molluscs for Aquaculture was conducted by the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Florida Sea Grant, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The objective of the workshop was to characterize the culture and market potential of alternative molluscan shellfish species. Participants included aquaculturists, seed suppliers, researchers, biologists, marketers, economists, regulators, and resource managers. Workshop participants concluded that efforts should be undertaken to further determine the production feasibility and market demand for several mollusc species. This document presents the results of research on two alternative species, the blood ark (Anadara ovalis) and the ponderous ark (Noetia ponderosa). The overarching goal of the project was to determine the feasibility of establishing a commercial aquaculture industry for producing blood and ponderous arks in Florida. Specific project aims reported here include: 1) developing spawning, larval rearing, and settlement techniques; and 2) evaluating production performance under nursery and growout conditions. The information presented is not a hatchery or growout manual, but is provided as a reference for shellfish hatchery operators and growers, resource managers, and others who may be considering the culture of blood or ponderous arks as alternative or additional species. The development of seed production techniques is presented in Chapter 2 and the evaluation of growth and survival from seed to market size is presented in Chapter 3. Prior reports, published as journal articles or extension fact sheets, on other aspects of this project are provided in the appendices of this document. The gametogenic cycle and sex ratio for blood ark populations from the northwest coast of Florida (Appendix I) and for ponderous ark populations from Cedar Key (Appendix II) were determined by University of Georgia researchers Alan Power and Randal Walker. In a complementary study, John Baldwin with Florida Atlantic University documented the fertilization and early embryonic development of both ark species (Appendix III). Detailed knowledge of reproduction and development of ark clams is necessary for the advancement of successful hatchery spawning and rearing techniques. Finally, University of Florida extension faculty Robert Degner and Leslie Sturmer summarized research on the shellfish trade industry’s awareness and acceptance of blood and ponderous arks (Appendix IV), as well as the nutritional composition and shelf life of these molluscs under commercial refrigeration (Appendix V). The latter two publications present information necessary for shellfish wholesalers in developing marketing strategies for these non-traditional molluscs. In summary, this document demonstrates that spawning, larval rearing, nursery and growout, harvest, marketing, and distribution of blood and ponderous arks can be achieved. Specific areas that require further research and/or development by commercial interests are identified. Acknowledgments We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of commercial partners Phil Cubbedge, Bill Leeming, Mike Sullivan, and Chris Taiani, who graciously provided their time and facilities. We also thank University of Florida technicians Micah Alo, Adam Trott, Brenda Leary, Martha Londono, and Rebecca Varner for their assistance. iii Contributors Shirley M. Baker Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Program, School of Forest Resources and Conservation, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32653 John D. Baldwin Department of Biological Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431 R. LeRoy Creswell Florida Sea Grant College Program, University of Florida, Fort Pierce, FL 34945 Robert L. Degner Food and Resource Economics Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (retired) Cheryl Lucas Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Savannah State University, Savannah, GA 31404 Justin Manley Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Savannah State University, Savannah, GA 31404 (former graduate student) Marcy Mitchell Shellfish Research Laboratory, Marine Extension Service, University of Georgia, Savannah, GA 31411 Kimberly L. Morgan Food and Resource Economics Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 Jose M. Nuñez The Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, FL 32080 Alan J. Power Shellfish Research Laboratory, Marine Extension Service, University of Georgia, Savannah, GA 31411 Tiffany B. Southwell Food and Resource Economics Department, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (former graduate student) Leslie N. Sturmer Shellfish Aquaculture Extension Program, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Cedar Key, FL 32625 Randal L. Walker Marine Extension Service, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 iv Contents Preface...................................................................................................... iii List of Figures............................................................................................. vi List of Tables.............................................................................................. vii Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Ark Clam Seed Production ............................................................ 5 Hatchery Description ............................................................................... 5 Broodstock Collection and Maintenance ...................................................... 6 Spawning............................................................................................... 7 Determination of ripeness................................................................... 7 Spawning induction ........................................................................... 7 Spawning behavior............................................................................ 8 Blood ark spawning ........................................................................... 8 Ponderous ark spawning..................................................................... 11 Larval Rearing ....................................................................................... 12 Early Larval Development......................................................................... 13 Blood ark larvae................................................................................ 13 Ponderous ark larvae ......................................................................... 15 Setting and Post-set Rearing..................................................................... 16 Blood ark setting and post-set rearing.................................................. 17 Ponderous ark setting and post-set rearing ........................................... 18 Settlement (Metamorphosis) Experiments................................................... 18 Land-based Nursery ................................................................................ 20 Blood ark land-based nursery.............................................................. 21 Ponderous ark land-based nursery....................................................... 22 Comparison with Hard Clam Seed Production .............................................. 23 Summary............................................................................................... 24 Chapter 3.