GAPS IN THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FOR THE CULTURE OF SIX NATIVE BURROWING BIVALVES OF COMMERCIAL INTEREST IN CHILE

GAPS IN THE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FOR THE CULTURE OF SIX NATIVE
BURROWING BIVALVES OF COMMERCIAL INTEREST IN CHILE.
Doris Oliva, Alejandro Abarca, Elisa Pacheco, Alberto Reyes, Claudia Cubillos,
Daniel Arriagada, Vladimir Murillo, Heraldo Contreras, Camila Barria & L.René
Durán
Instituto de Biología
Centro de Investigación y Gestión de los Recursos Naturales, CIGREN
Facultad de Ciencias
Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile
Doris.Oliva@uv.cl
The increase in the exploitation of clams has produced a reduction in the artisanal CPUE
and landing. Therefore, the importance of developing a technology for culture and
commercial production of burrowing bivalves is evident. The aim of this work is to make an
analysis of bivalves with biologic and market potential in Chile, to establish the state of the
art and detect the gaps to complete and improve the current cultivation technology.
According to the results of an advisory contracted by the government and an expert team,
we include six species in this analysis: Mulinia edulis (taquilla clam), Venus antiqua (taca
clam), Ensis macha (razor clam), Gari solida (huepo), Mesodesma donacium (surf clam) and
Tawera gayi (juliana clam) (Table 1).
Presently, there are no commercial cultures of clam in Chile, nevertheless two species are
more advanced, M.edulis and V.antiqua. The effect of culture density, diet and ration in the
growth and survival of larvae and post larvae of Mulinia (Oliva et al. 2013, 2014; Vivanco et
al., 2014) is known. Grown out experiments in the sea showed that seeds produced in
hatchery are capable of surviving long transfer periods and grow both in the subtidal and
intertidal zone (Abarca et al., 2012). In the case of Venus antiqua, several studies have been
made on reproductive cycle, broodstock conditioning, larvae and postlarvae culture, seed
production (Bustos and Olavarría, 2000) and growing up in the sea up to commercial size.
Figure 1: Hatchery, nursery and grown-out
knowledge in six native burrowing bivalves
In razor and surf clam, larval and postlarval
cultures are developed, with a pilot
level scaling up to production of
competent larvae in Ensis (Arriagada et
al., 2013).
Gari solida currently has initial research
on embrionary development and culture
of larvae and post larvae (Olavarría et al,
1996, Contreras et al., 2014 a, b). The
scaling of the larval and postlarval culture
of this species is still lacking.
The culture of Tawera gayi is already
starting in an initial experimental level.