Abundance of blood cockle (Tegillarca granosa) at Kuala Juru River Estuary, Penang, Malaysia

Abstract

The quality of culture beds plays a significant role in the production of blood cockles (Tegillarca granosa), particularly the sediment, which affects the survival of T. granosa. The sediment composition, nutrient concentration, and the abundance of T. granosa were monitored at Kuala Juru, Penang (Malaysia), on the northern Straits of Malacca. The collected sediment samples showed that clay has the lowest sediment composition in Kuala Juru, at 10.90–11.50%, followed by silt at 12.85–13.40%, and sand at 75.30–76.25%. Meanwhile, the nutrient concentration of ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite were 0.292–0.522 mg/L, 0.084– 0.263 mg/L and 0.084–0.129 mg/L, respectively. The average abundance of cockle and shell length of T. granosa was lowest at Station 3 (19.5 individuals per 5 m2 and 22.67 ± 0.71 mm), followed by Station 1 (31 individuals per 5 m2 and 23.36 ± 0.45 mm). The highest was at Station 2, which had 48.5 individuals per 5 m2 and 24.69 ± 0.35 mm in shell length. Therefore, monitoring and improving the sediment quality in culture beds are needed to increase the production of T. granosa in the future.

Keywords

• blood cockle
• tegillarca granosa
• sediment
• nutrient
• abundance