Abstract
Samples of the population of Yoldia limatula Say were obtained from the Bideford River, Malpeque Bay, Prince Edward Island, Canada, during the summers of 1979 and 1980 by means of a dredge and a Ponar grab sampler. Size frequency analysis demonstrated that individuals in the size range 25- to 35-mm shell length were numerically dominant in May, June and July. Recruitment of juveniles in August resulted in the dominance of individuals of 5 mm and smaller which comprised 50% of the population at that time. The overall sex ratio was 48.8% males to 51.2% females. From annual lengths measured at successive winter growth bands it was determined that one-yr olds attained a shell length of between 13.8 and 17.7 mm, two-yr olds between 26.7 and 28.0 mm, three-yr olds between 33.8 and 35.2 mm, and foru-yr olds had a mean length of 38.7 mm. Y. limatula produced a croppable annual yield of between 1.19 and 2.65 g dry tissue weight m-2 with P/B ratios of 0.65 and 1.45 respectively.
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Communicated by R. O. Fournier, Halifax
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Lewis, J.B., Saleh, S., Reiswig, H.M. et al. Growth, production and biomass of the burrowing protobranch mollusc Yoldia limatula in the Bideford River, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Mar. Biol. 70, 173–179 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397682
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397682