Journal
AQUATIC LIVING RESOURCES
Volume 30, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
EDP SCIENCES S A
DOI: 10.1051/alr/2017014
Keywords
freshwater bivalve; Etheriidae; Unionoida; survival; aquaculture
Categories
Funding
- BIOTA-West Africa
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In this paper, we assess the growth performance, survival rate and abiotic factors affecting Etheria elliptica (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Etheriidae), the African freshwater oyster, a species that is widespread in tropical Africa where it is widely harvested for food and as a commodity. We collected wild oysters from the Pendjari River (Benin) and grouped them into small (23.4 +/- 5.2 mm) and large (55.8 +/- 7.7 mm) size classes. They were reared in cages in the Pendjari River from January to December 2009. Shell height was measured on a monthly basis, and estimated growth parameters were assessed using the von Bertalanffy growth function. Overall, the growth parameter estimates for pooled size classes were K = 0.0718 month (-1) and L-infinity = 82.2 mm. We estimated the time to reach minimum commercial size T65mm (female sexual maturity size) to be 22 months (1.8 years). Small oysters exhibited a peak in growth rate (2.775mmmonth(-1)) in May, whereas large-sized oysters grew fastest (1.707-2.781mmmonth(-1)) in August-September during the rainy/ flood season. Survival of small-sized oysters declined sharply from May (60%) to June (11%) at the onset of the rainy season, six months after the beginning of experiment, while large oysters had higher survival in June (79.2%), which decreased in December (26.4%). Among abiotic factors investigated, water transparency was negatively correlated with the growth increment of small-sized oysters (p<0.05). E. elliptica is a suitable candidate for culture due to its large maximum size, reasonable growth rate, and wide geographic range.
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