The Net Facts; or Why a Little Bit of Ecology is a Good Thing
Leah Bendell, Simon Fraser University
Beginning in summer of 2000, The Sustainable Shellfish Initiative at Simon Fraser University embarked on a series of studies to assess the ecological impact of the shellfishery on the foreshore. Two of the concerns addressed were (1) the covering of the foreshore with anti-predator netting, a farming practice thought to increase bivalve biomass, and (2) the intentional destruction of the moonsnail, thought to be a major predator of the manila clam. Although we see some evidence of netting increasing bivalve biomass at low tide, the nets appear to have limited effect at mid-tide levels. Rather, the nets degrade foreshore habitat quality and simplify the benthic species composition. Moonsnails prefer the native littleneck clam as prey rather than the economically important manila clam and have minimal impact on bivalve numbers. Hence
their destruction is unwarranted.