Commercial harvesting of these clams contributes tens of millions of dollars annually to the New England economy. Recruitment within a bay can be highly localized. Because recruitment has a strong influence on soft-shell clam population dynamics and productivity, variations can make the fishery difficult to manage. The present study focuses on spatial variation by investigating the interactions between burrowing behavior and hydrodynamic transport of clam larvae. The results will facilitate our ability to predict the locations of sustained recruitment, thereby providing valuable information for those utilizing the soft shell clam fishery and fishery managers.
Sustainability is achieved when recruitment balances removal.
It also determines the prospects for recovery in a depleted fishery in which fishing mortality has been reduced. Understanding the sources of variability in recruitment is therefore critical for managing a fishery. In addition, the methodology developed during the course of this project will be more widely applicable to stocks other than haddock.