EXPERT TOPIC
CARPET SHELL
EXPERT TOPIC CARPET SHELL
The farming of carpet shells by Rebecca Sherratt, Production editor, Fish Farming Technology & International Aquafeed
T
he farming of carpet shells proves to be a relatively popular business. Harvesting occurs primarily in France, Portugal and Spain, records of mollusc fishing and consumption in Spain dating all the way back to the sixteenth century. Intensive fishing first began around 1926, however, at this time regulations weren’t so rigidly enforced, and fishermen often used prohibited tools and fished for clams of all sizes. It was not until 1935 that clam fishing was regulated, and rules began to formally be established, the first rule ever being that fishermen could only harvest up to 14kg of clams during each low tide, and this season would officially last from May to October. Between 1997-2001 the total aquaculture production of carpet shells ranged from between 3,700-4,900 tonnes per year. Over the years, France has declined slightly in production, producing only 475 tonnes in 2004, and this has only continued to decline. Over the years, the UK, more specifically Ireland, have also begun producing and farming carpet shells. Despite these large numbers of harvests, that have only continued to expand in the past decade, carpet shells, alongside many clams in general, repopulate at an exceedingly fast rate, and so they are thankfully not considered endangered in any way. Carpet shells are available in a variety of subspecies, one notable one being the Japanese carpet shell, which are established in groups in California and British Columbia, alongside Japan. They have also been transferred from Japanese waters into the UK, Hawaii and Spain.
The farming process
Modern farmers have three main methods by which they can obtain carpet shells. The first way is via seed. Farmers obtain seed from their own parks, or via natural clam populations in the early Spring. Using a small shovel, they dig through sand to the clam seed, pass it through a sieve to separate seed from sand, and then relocate the seed into their own parks. The seed is spread in densities of approximately 800 clams/m2. 52 | January 2019 - International Aquafeed