What controls reproduction in the Sunray Venus?

Support for this two year project (completed in 2016) came from the Aquaculture Research Council of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The title of the proposal was "Determination of optimal protocol for conditioning sunray venus (Macrocallista nimbosa) broodstock in Florida".

Our partner was the Bay Shellfish Co.

During the first year we examined the reproductive cycle of a wild population of clams off Anna Maria Island and correlated specific gametogenic events to environmental temperature and food supply.

In the second year we attempted to condition clams at two temperatures and two diets to see which factor was more important in controlling reproduction. Two three month trials were conducted (fall 2015 and spring 2016).

We found that in nature, these clams do not have a well defined reproductive cycle; instead, they reproduce almost continuously throughout the year. See our Publications page for more information.

Conditioning of clams was similar at all experimental conditions (temperature x diet) and both times of the year.

We concluded that temperature is less of a factor controlling reproduction than food; the amount of food, rather than specific diet, appears to be critical for conditioning success.