How to Farm Clams? A Detailed Guide to Farming Techniques and Management Methods
The clam's flesh is incomparably delicious, earning it the titles of “the world's number one delicacy” and “the crown of a hundred flavors,” and its nutrition is also fairly comprehensive. So, how do you farm clams?
1. Farming site
The clam farming site should be chosen in low-tide zone mudflats with smooth tidal flow, flat terrain and high sand content, or in ponds with good water quality and bottom conditions. The transportation conditions of the farming site must be good, and it must be kept away from industrial pollution zones. For mudflat farming, the flat must be turned and improved; after the dug-out mud and sand are washed by the tide and exposed to the sun, it is leveled again. In areas prone to tidal scouring and mud and sand coverage, dikes are built to prevent flooding and stop the seed stock from being lost. For pond farming, dikes and sluice gates must be repaired; one month before releasing the seedlings, drain the pond water first, expose the bottom to the sun, carry out disinfection treatment, and then discharge filtered seawater for farming.
2. Sowing the seedlings
The sowing time is determined by the size of the seedlings. Generally, white seedlings are sown in April to May, medium seedlings from December to the following spring, and large seedlings before spawning. There are two sowing methods, dry sowing and wet sowing. In dry sowing, after the tide recedes and the flat is exposed, the clam seedlings are evenly broadcast to prevent them from piling up; in wet sowing, before the tide recedes from the flat, they are evenly broadcast in areas with slow tidal flow. Wet sowing takes longer and has a higher survival rate, but it is only suitable for medium and large seedlings. The sowing density must be carefully controlled: if the sowing density is too high, the clams grow slowly, but if the density is too sparse, the yield is low, so the sowing density must be properly managed.
3. Strengthen management
After sowing the seedlings, patrol and manage them frequently to check whether the seedlings are being lost and how the clams' growth rate and survival rate are, so that seedlings can be replenished in time and relevant countermeasures can be taken. In addition, pay attention to repairing the flat and dikes to prevent the clams from escaping. Moreover, clams that have just reproduced are extremely weak and often float up out of the flat; at this time, watch out for death caused by human trampling, and strengthen management after reproduction or simply transplant them to other areas.
4. Strengthen disease prevention and control
During farming, disease prevention and control must be strengthened. The high-temperature environment in summer in particular is a period of high incidence of clam diseases, and clams often infect each other after dying and decomposing. In addition, the high summer temperatures easily pollute the water quality and bottom conditions, and this is a period when parasites and microorganisms reproduce. The farming site must be disinfected and sterilized regularly, and quicklime or chlorine dioxide can be splashed on the water body for disinfection. Also, when breeding seedlings in summer, oxytetracycline can be added to the water body to prevent and control diseases and inhibit the reproduction of seedlings, which is beneficial to the growth of the clams.
Clams are not difficult to farm, and in recent years they have sold well and can bring good economic returns.