Presentation Title
Evaluation of Tagging and Tracking Methods of Pismo Clams (Tivela Stultorum) in Southern California
Faculty Mentor
Sean Bignami
Start Date
17-11-2018 12:30 PM
End Date
17-11-2018 2:30 PM
Location
HARBESON 6
Session
POSTER 2
Type of Presentation
Poster
Subject Area
biological_agricultural_sciences
Abstract
The Pismo clam (Tivela stultorum), a once steadily populated species native to Southern California is now potentially rebounding from a sharp depletion in their populations due to commercial overfishing in the early 1900s. The commercial fishery was banned in the United States in 1947 when the species approached local extinction in some locations. Much remains unknown about the present day life history and ecology of the Pismo clam. This initial study was performed by evaluating the feasibility and efficacy of tagging and tracking Pismo clams using metal tags and a metal detector to enable subsequent research opportunities. Five different tag types made from various metals and sizes were adhered to the clam shells and then tested for percent detection at different depths. The brass tags were found to have a higher percent detection than the aluminum and stainless steel. Additionally, the larger 19.1 mm tags were easier to detect than the smaller 12.7 mm tags. Ten clams with both sized brass tags were taken out into the realistic environment of the intertidal zone of Newport Beach during low tide and tested for detectability at depths of 10 cm and 15 cm. On average, for each depth, there was a 95 and 85 percent detection respectively. The success of this preliminary project depicts metal detection as a valuable possibility for Pismo clam tracking in the future.
Keywords: Tivela stultorum, metal, tagging, detection, clam, beach, efficacy
Evaluation of Tagging and Tracking Methods of Pismo Clams (Tivela Stultorum) in Southern California
HARBESON 6
The Pismo clam (Tivela stultorum), a once steadily populated species native to Southern California is now potentially rebounding from a sharp depletion in their populations due to commercial overfishing in the early 1900s. The commercial fishery was banned in the United States in 1947 when the species approached local extinction in some locations. Much remains unknown about the present day life history and ecology of the Pismo clam. This initial study was performed by evaluating the feasibility and efficacy of tagging and tracking Pismo clams using metal tags and a metal detector to enable subsequent research opportunities. Five different tag types made from various metals and sizes were adhered to the clam shells and then tested for percent detection at different depths. The brass tags were found to have a higher percent detection than the aluminum and stainless steel. Additionally, the larger 19.1 mm tags were easier to detect than the smaller 12.7 mm tags. Ten clams with both sized brass tags were taken out into the realistic environment of the intertidal zone of Newport Beach during low tide and tested for detectability at depths of 10 cm and 15 cm. On average, for each depth, there was a 95 and 85 percent detection respectively. The success of this preliminary project depicts metal detection as a valuable possibility for Pismo clam tracking in the future.
Keywords: Tivela stultorum, metal, tagging, detection, clam, beach, efficacy