About a dozen clam hatchery personnel and other stakeholders attended the Development of Clam Broodstock for Seed Production Workshop at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University (HBOI-FAU). The workshop was supported by a Florida Sea Grant grant to HBOI-FAU research professor John Scarpa and UF extension specialist Leslie Sturmer; organizational assistance was provided by Florida Sea Grant extension agent LeRoy Creswell. Florida is a leading producer of cultured hard clams, but where do the seed clams come from for planting? They come from commercial hatcheries. Hatchery personnel spawn thousands of clams a year to produce the hundreds of million seed needed by clam farmers. As with production of any animal, breeding is an important part of the production cycle. Dr. Scarpa reviewed basic genetics and broodstock management to maintain genetic diversity while selecting for production traits, while Leslie presented an overview of the hard clam breeding work that is being supported by USDA grants. At the conclusion, high performing broodstock lines developed under the USDA project were supplied to hatchery personnel to incorporate into their breeding lines.
Hard Clam Breeding – Results of Hybrid and F1 Backcross Growout
