5/5 Richard M. 5 years ago on Google
The
Giant
Clam
Sanctuary
is
a
must
see.
The
best
thing
is
to
stay
at
the
nearbay
Le
Valasi's
Beach
Fales
which
is
an
absolutely
wonderful
real
Samoan
place
to
stay.
The
clams
are
breath
taking.
The
Tongan
ones
are
bath
tub
size,
and
the
Samoan
ones
are
football
and
alien
colors.
Giant
clams
(faisua)
are
large,
colorful
and,
surprisingly,
they
are
part
animal
and
part
“plant”.
That's
because
giant
clams,
like
corals,
have
plant-like
cells
(zooxanthellae)
in
their
tissues
that
produce
free
food
for
the
clams.
When
a
clam
opens
its
shell
and
spreads
out
its
pretty
mantle,
it
exposes
these
solar
panels
of
zooxanthellae
to
the
sun
to
make
food,
like
a
plant
unfolding
its
leaves.
Samoa
has
two
native
species
of
giant
clams
in
the
local
waters,
Tridacna
maxima
and
T.
squamosa,
which
look
fairly
similar.
They
grow
to
about
12-15
inches
in
shell
length,
although
most
found
today
are
smaller
because
the
larger
ones
have
been
over-harvested.
The
largest
and
most
famous
species
of
giant
clam
(T.
gigas),
which
grows
as
big
as
a
large
suitcase,
is
not
native
here
but
has
been
recently
imported.
Over
the
past
15
years,
mariculture
efforts
by
DMWR
have
introduced
T.
gigas
and
T.
derasa,
and
re-introduced
Hippopus
hippopus,
a
shallow-water
species
that
was
formerly
present.
Because
giant
clams
need
sunlight,
they
inhabit
shallow,
clear
waters
down
to
about
60
feet
deep.
They
grow
very
slowly;
one
local
clam
was
18
years
old.
They
spawn
repeatedly
over
their
life
span
and
release
millions
of
eggs
each
time
they
spawn,
but
most
young
clams
do
not
survive,
so
the
adults
have
to
live
a
long
time
and
spawn
many
times
to
insure
that
the
population
survives.
Larval
clams
swim
in
the
water
for
about
a
week,
then
settle
permanently
onto
the
reef
to
grow.
The
clams
are
a
favorite
food
item
throughout
the
South
Pacific
and
their
accessibility
in
shallow
waters
and
slow
growth
make
them
susceptible
to
overfishing.
That
is
very
much
the
case
in
American
Samoa,
where
few
remain
on
many
of
our
reefs
near
populated
areas.
There
is
a
growing
concern
that
our
population
of
giant
clams
may
be
getting
too
few
and
far
between
to
spawn
successfully.
Partly
for
that
reason,
there
has
been
an
interest
in
growing
these
clams
in
hatcheries
to
supply
markets
for
food
and
the
aquarium
trade.
DMWR
has
operated
a
hatchery
here
for
many
years
and
tried
to
encourage
local
production
by
supplying
small
clams
for
local
'farmers'
to
grow
them
on
their
reefs.
That
effort
has
met
with
limited
success
for
several
reasons.
Considerable
dedication
is
needed
because
it
may
take
several
years
to
grow
the
clams
to
a
commercial
size,
and
the
clams
have
to
be
protected
from
poachers
and
predators.
And
there
are
always
fa'alavelave
events
that
call
for
contributions
of
giant
clams
if
anyone
has
some.
In
general,
giant
clam
mariculture
here
has
usually
supplemented
family
needs
rather
than
create
a
commercial
business.
Periodically,
the
idea
of
raising
the
clams
to
a
small
size
for
the
aquarium
trade
is
talked
about
as
a
possible
market.
Harvest
regulations
in
American
Samoa
(in
2005)
are:
giant
clams
taken
for
personal
consumption
must
be
at
least
6
inches
in
shell
length,
or
if
sold,
a
license
is
required
and
giant
clams
must
be
at
least
7
inches
in
shell
length
and
sold
with
the
clam
still
in
its
shell.
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