Can giant clam (Tridacna squamosa) populations be restored on Singapore's heavily impacted coral reefs?

• 1. Giant clams have been a sustainable resource for millennia, but unregulated harvesting has led to local extinctions within the Indo‐Pacific region. Giant clam mariculture can produce large numbers of juveniles for restocking wild populations where natural recruitment is low or absent.
• 2. Singapore is surrounded by more than 60 small islands, many with fringing reefs. These reefs, however, experience increased turbidity and sedimentation resulting from massive coastal development projects and regular dredging of shipping lanes.
• 3. Seven reefs off Singapore's southern islands were surveyed (9670 m²) for giant clams. Also, an experiment was conducted to determine the growth of Tridacna squamosa reared in aquaria under three light treatments: ～50% ambient photosynthetically active radiation (PAR); ～25% ambient PAR; and ～12% ambient PAR. Finally, 144 clams (T. squamosa) were transplanted to four reefs around Singapore to study survival and growth in a heavily impacted environment.
• 4. A total of 23 adult clams from three species were found during the survey, representing a mean density of 0.24 per 100 m². Most clams were found at Raffles Lighthouse, Singapore's ‘best’ reef. No juvenile clams were encountered. In the aquarium experiment, clam growth was significantly different among the three light treatments, with growth greatest in the ～50% ambient PAR treatment. Of the 144 transplanted clams, 116 (80.6%) were recovered after 7 months. All specimens had increased in size, with growth rates among reefs ranging from 3.3 mm month^?1 (SD=1.3 mm) to 4.8 mm month^?1 (SD=1.6 mm).
• 5. Results suggest that, despite high levels of sedimentation and turbidity on Singapore's reefs, giant clams can survive and grow well. Restocking efforts using maricultured clams may be effective in enhancing the dwindling local populations. It is not clear, however, whether a self‐sustaining community can be established as high sedimentation may hinder larval settlement and survival.

Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Current prevalence of adult Uncinaria spp. in northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) and California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) pups on San Miguel Island, California, with notes on the biology of these hookworms

A prevalence survey for hookworms (Uncinaria spp.) was done in northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) and California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) pups on San Miguel Island, CA, in 2000. Intestines of dead pups were examined for adult hookworms in July. These parasites were found in 95% of 20 fur seal pups and 100% of 31 sea lion pups. The number of hookworms varied from 4 to 2142 (mean = 760) in fur seal pups and from 20 to 2634 (mean = 612) in sea lion pups. A direct relationship was evident between body condition and number of hookworms in the pups; that is, pups in poor condition had fewer hookworms than those in good condition. There was a decline in the number of hookworms in sea lion pups in 2000 compared to collections in 1996. Eggs of Uncinaria spp. were found in rectal feces (collected in late September and early October) of none of 35 (0%) live fur seal pups and 41 of 48 (85%) live sea lion pups. Packed cell volume values, determined for most of the same live pups, were essentially normal for C. ursinus but were much lower than normal for most Z. californianus. Hookworm larvae were not found in blubber of fur seal and sea lion pups or in rookery sand in July. Rookery sand, positive for live hookworm larvae when put in a refrigerator, was negative at removal 2.5 years later. The average number of eggs in utero of female hookworms was 285 for three specimens from a fur seal pup and 281 from three specimens from a sea lion pup. One hookworm larva was recovered from milk stripped from the teats of a stranded Z. californianus female at The Marine Mammal Center, Sausalito, CA.