Evaluation of Ruditapes spp. Clam Stock on the Western Coast of Cotentin (English Channel)

Evaluation of Ruditapes spp. Clam Stock on the Western Coast of Cotentin (English Channel) The Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum (Adam and Reeve 1850) was introduced into France in the 1970s and now dominates the European clam Ruditapes decusattus (Linnaeus 1758) in the intertidal zone of the western Cotentin (English Channel). While it has successfully colonized a large variety of sediment habitats, from muddy sand to gravel, the densities remain 40 mm, legal catch size) in these four patches is estimated as 382 t (fresh weight with shell) for a total of harvest of 122 t (32% of the adult stock), which corresponds to a catch of 8 t by professional fishers and 113 t by recreational fishers.