GROWTH, RECRUITMENT, AND DISTRIBUTION OF 



THE LITTLENECK CLAM, PROTOTHACA STAMINEA, IN 



GALENA BAY, PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND, ALASKA 



A. J. Paul and Howard M. Federi 



I 



ABSTRACT 



Specimens of the littleneck clam, Protothaca staminea, were collected in Galena Bay, 

 Prince William Sound, Alaska, during the summer months of 1971 for a study of recruit- 

 ment, growth, and distribution. 



The average size of P. staminea in Galena Bay at the end of the first growing season 

 is approximately 2 mm in length. At any given age, littleneck clams from Galena Bay 

 are smaller than those from British Columbia. In Galena Bay 8 yr are needed for 

 P. staminea to reach a length of 30 mm as compared with 3 yr for individuals from 

 British Columbia. 



In Galena Bay the intertidal distribution of P. staminea generally follows a bell-shaped 

 curve with upper and lower extremes occurring between the tidal heights of +0.73 and 

 -0.76 m. The young-of-the-year are essentially epifaunal, and the majority of the specimens" 

 of all age classes are found within 4 cm of the sediment surface. 



The number of individuals surviving annual recruitment into the populations studied 

 was variable. 



Protothaca staminea (Conrad), commonly called 

 the littleneck clam, is frequently encountered 

 on beaches in Prince William Sound, Alaska. 

 It is a clam of commercial importance in the 

 State of Washington, and was harvested in 

 southeastern Alaska until 1946 when the pre- 

 sence of toxic clams in Alaska resulted in 

 regulatory action halting commercial produc- 

 tion (M. Hayes in Felsing, 1965). Feder and 

 Paul (1973) and R. Nickerson (Alaska Depart- 

 ment of Fish and Game, pers. comm.) suggested 

 that a small clam fishery is feasible in Prince 

 William Sound since paralytic shellfish poison 

 (P.S.P.) does not seem to be a problem there, 

 and many beaches with sizable populations of 

 P. staminea from beaches near Victoria, British 

 gigantens, occur in the area. 



Considering the extensive distribution of the 

 littleneck clam along the Pacific coast of North 

 America, few papers on the basic biology of 

 the species are available. The most extensive 

 paper is that of Fraser and Smith (1928) which 



AK 99701. 



' Institute of Marine Science and College of Biological 

 Sciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, '" ""•""• 



Manuscript accepted February 1973. 

 FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 71. NO. 3, 1973. 



provides information on size at age, sex ratios, 

 size at maturity, and time of spawning for 

 P. staminea from beaches near Victoria, British 

 Columbia. Smith (1928) compared the different 

 types of normally available food and the effects 

 of these food types on growth rates of P. 

 staminea. The only paper providing detailed 

 information on reproduction of P. staminea is 

 that of Quayle (1943) for clams of Ladysmith 

 Harbour, British Columbia. General, but brief 

 reviews of the species are included in Marriage 

 (1954) for Oregon, Fitch (1953) primarily for 

 California, and Amos (1966) for the entire 

 range of the species. Toxicity of P. staminea 

 from P.S.P. is considered by Felsing (1965) 

 and Quayle (1967, 1969). No intensive work 

 on littleneck clams from Alaskan waters is 

 available. 



The major purpose of this investigation was 

 to study age and growth of P. staminea in 

 Galena Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska. 

 The material collected also provided informa- 

 tion on recruitment, distribution, and abundance 

 of P. stami)iea. This project was conducted 

 with funds provided by the University of 

 Alaska's Sea Grant Program for a study of 



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