the westward flow of water from the ocean, and 

 flows from the Arthur Kill and Raritan Rivers; 

 the Horseshoe Cove area is affected most strongly 

 by water flowing from the Shrewsbury River. 



Ansell (1968) analyzed data from throughout 

 the geogi'aphical range of adult hard clams to de- 

 velop a relationship between temperature and 

 gi'owth rate. Shell growth occurred between tem- 

 peratures of 9°-3rC and ceased at lower and 

 higher temperatures; the optimum was 20°C. 

 Castagna and Chanley (1973) reported a salinity 

 tolerance range of 12.5-46'/ff for survival of adult 

 hard clams, with an optimum of 24-28'^ff. 



The above temperature and salinity limits for 

 adult hard clams were compared with hydro- 

 gi'aphic results reported by Jefferies (1962). He 

 listed mean surface and bottom water data begin- 

 ning in summer 1957 to summer 1958 at two loca- 

 tions (Stations 1 and 6) in Raritan Bay near the 

 Ward Pomt and New Dorp Beach sample sites, 

 respectively. Throughout Raritan Bay no growth 

 of adult clams would be expected during winter 

 due to low bottom temperatures (2.3"-3.0°C); slow 

 growth would occur during the increasing and 

 decreasing temperatures of the spring and fall. 

 Near normal growth probably occurs at New Dorp 

 Beach and Ward Point during the summer when 

 temperature means appeared to be near optimum 

 conditions. Lowest bottom salinities were re- 

 corded during the spring at Jefferies' (1962) sta- 

 tion number 1 near Ward Point. These values 

 indicate that the minimum salinity tolerance 

 limit for adult hard clams may occasionally be 

 reached in the area. Salinities near the New Dorp 

 Beach area (Jefferies 1962, station 6) were all 

 within the tolerance limits for adult hard clams. 



Jefferies (1962) reported dissolved oxygen 

 measurements and found relatively low concen- 

 trations in the water near Ward Point in both 

 summer periods. Slightly higher values occurred 

 in the fall of 1957 and following spring near Ward 

 Point, but the confidence intervals were greater 

 than for any other period, indicating more vari- 

 able conditions. Dissolved oxygen levels near 

 New Dorp Beach were consistently higher than 

 near Ward Point. 



Literature Cited 



A.NSKLL A D 



1968. The rate of growth of the hard clams Merccnana 

 mercenaria (L.) throughout the geographic 

 range. J. Cons. 31:364-409. 

 Barker. A M . and A S Merrill 



1967. Total .soHd.s and length-weight relation of the surf 



clam, Spisula soUdissima. Proc. Natl. Shellfish. Assoc. 

 57:90-94. 

 Belding. D L 



1912. A report upon the quahaug and oyster fisheries of 

 Massachu.setts, including the life history, growth and 

 cultivation of the quahaug [Venus mercenaria ), and ob- 

 servations on the set of the oyster spat in Wellfleet 

 Bay. Wright and Potter Printing Co., Boston, 134 p. 

 Campbell. R 



1967. A report on the shellfish resources of Raritan Bay, 

 New Jersey. In Proceedings of the Conference on Pollu- 

 tion of Raritan Bay and Adjacent Interstate Waters, Vol. 

 2, p, 6.53-681. U.S. Dep. Inter., Fed. Water Pollution 

 Control Admin., Third Sess. 

 Carriker. M R 



1959. The role of physical and biological factors in the 

 culture of Crassoslrea and Mercenaria in a salt-water 

 pond. Ecol. Monogr. 29:219-266. 

 1961. Interrelation of functional morphology, behavior, 

 and autecology in early stages of bivalve Mercenaria mer- 

 cenaria. J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 77:168-241. 

 Casselman. W G B 



1959. Histochemical technique. Methuen's Monogr. 

 Biol. Subj., John Wiley and Sons, Inc., N.Y., 205 p. 

 Castagna. M , and P Chanley 



1973. Salinity tolerance of some marine bivalves from in- 

 shore and estuarine environments in Virginia waters on 

 the Western Mid-Atlantic coast. Malacologia 12:47-96. 

 Chanley. P . and J D Andrews 



1971. Aids for identification of bivalve larvae of Vir- 

 ginia. Malacologia 11:45-119. 

 Deevey. G B 



1948. The zooplankton of Tisbury Great Pond Bingham 

 Oceanogr. Inst. Coll. Bull. 12:1-44. 

 ElSLER, R 



1981. Trace metal concentrations in marine organ- 

 isms. Pergamon Press, N.Y., 687 p. 



EngleJ B 



1958. The seasonal significance of total solids of oysters in 

 commercial exploitation. Proc. Natl. Shellfish. Assoc. 

 48:72-78. 

 Engle.J B.andC R Chaf'.man 



1953. Oyster condition affected by attached mus- 

 sels. Proc. Natl. Shellfish. Assoc, 1951 Conven. Add. 

 p. 70-78. 

 Eversole. a G . and W K Michner 



1980. Reproductive cycle of Mercenaria mercenaria in a 

 South Carolina estuary. Proc. Natl. Shellfish. Assoc. 

 70:22-30. 

 Fayl L . AND S G George 



1985. Purification of very low molecular weight Cu- 

 complexes from the European oyster. In F. J. Vernberg, 

 F. P Thurburg, A. Calabrese, and W Vernberg (editors). 

 Marine pollution and physiology: recent advances, 

 p. 145-155. Univ. South Carolina Press. 

 George, S G 



1982. Subcellular accumulation and detoxification of 

 metals in aquatic animals. In W. B. Vernberg, A. Cal- 

 abrese, F. P. Thurburg, F. J. Vernberg (edi- 

 tors). Physiological mechanisms of marine pollutant 

 toxicity, p. 3-52. Acad. Press, N.Y. 



Goldberg, E D 



1957. Chap. 12. Biogeochemistry of trace metals. In 

 J. W. Hedgpeth (editor). Treatise on marine ecology and 

 paleoecology, p. 345-357. Geol. Soc. Amer. Mem. 67, 



661 



