Fwd: aquariums save reefs

[Craig Bingman]

On Mon, 4 Dec 2000, Osha Gray Davidson wrote:

> (My understanding is that the giant clams 
> Doug mentions aren't destined for aquaria, but for human consumption. Is 
> that correct?)

The majority are for human consumption.  Some exceptionally colorful
specimens wind up in the ornamental trade.  My understanding is that the
(overwhelmingly large) majority of _Tridacna_ clams in the live ornamental
trade are farmed clams.  This seems to be a lucrative side market for the
clam farmers, since aquarists are willing to pay many times more than a
clam would bring in the "for food" channel.

Craig

cbingman at panix.com   
http://fpage1.ba.best.com/~cbingman